Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions FAQ/Walkthrough

T   A   C   T   I   C   S

T h e W a r o f t h e L i o n s





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% FINAL FANTASY TACTICS: THE WAR OF THE LIONS FAQ %

% Version 1.51 %

% by Fritz Fraundorf %

% qumarsh@gmail.com %

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%%%%TABLE OF CONTENTS%%%%



To jump to any section of this FAQ, press Ctrl+F to Find and type in the code

(beginning with 00) next to the section title.



I. Revision History 00rev

II. Frequently Asked Questions 00faq

III. Walkthrough - Main Quest

Chapter I: The Meager 00walk1

Chapter II: The Manipulative & The Subservient 00walk2

Chapter III: The Valiant 00walk3

Chapter IV: In the Name of Love 00walk4

IV. Walkthrough - Subquests 00sub

Agrias's Birthday 00agr

Gollund Colliery 00col

Recruiting Balthier 00balt

Nelveska Temple 00nel

Recruiting Cloud 00cloud

Disorder in the Order 00dis

Lionel's New Liege Lord 00lio

Midlight's Deep 00md

V. Battle Strategies

Chapter I: The Meager 00bs1

Chapter II: The Manipulative & The Subservient 00bs2

Chapter III: The Valiant 00bs3

Chapter IV: In the Name of Love 00bs4

Subquests 00bssub

Midlight's Deep 00bsmd

VI. Multiplayer Modes

Rendezvous Mode - General Information 00ren0

Rendezvous Mode - Treasures and Ranking 00ren1

Rendezvous Mission Strategies 00ren2

VII. Jobs and Abilities

Job Requirements (Quick Reference) 00req

General Information about Jobs 00job0

Standard Jobs 00job1

Special Jobs 00job2

Job Statistics Comparison 00jobstat

Monsters 00mon

Enemy-Only Jobs 00job3

VIII. Ability Strategies

Ability Combos 00abil

Character Strategies 00char

Party Strategies 00par

IX. Statistics and Leveling

Bravery and Faith 00brave

EXP, JP, and Gil 00exp

Quickly Raising EXP and JP 00quick

Automated Leveling 00auto

Level-Downs and Stat Grinding 00down

X. Equipment and Items 00equip

Weapons 00weap

Shields 00shield

Headgear 00head

Armor 00armor

Accessories 00acc

Items 00item

XI. Finding Items

Poached Items 00poach

Shop Chart 00shop

Rare Item Locations 00rare

Missable Items and Events 00miss

XII. Errands 00err

XIII. Other Game Information

Ivalician Calendar 00calendar

Zodiac Compatibility 00zodiac

Party & Boss Zodiac Signs 00boss

Status Changes (Quick Reference) 00status1

Status Changes (Detail) 00status2

Elemental Affinities 00elem

Arithmeticks Chart 00arith

Random Battles 00rb

Various Tricks 00tricks

XIV. Miscellaneous Reference

Zodiac Stone Locations 00stones

FMV Movie List 00fmv

FF References 00ffr

XV. PSone -> PSP Changes

Game Changes 00psone

Name Conversion Chart 00names

XVI. Credits / Disclaimer 00cred



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I. REVISION HISTORY 00rev

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---Version 1.52 (2/12/08)---

- Added battle strategies for the Brave Story (whew, talk about a marathon!)

and Guarded Temple missions in Rendezvous Mode.

- Added an additional note to the Rendezvous Mode treasures section noting that

the number of turns you take does *not* affect your ranking. I also retitled

this section to "Treasures and Ranking" to better reflect its contents :)

- Added the Scorpion Tail and Cachusha as more rare items found in Rendezvous

Mode.



---Version 1.51 (2/11/08)---

- Made a few additions / clarifications to the Rendezvous Mode rules:

> Added a note that having characters KOed during Rendezvous Mode does not

count as a "Casualty" on your Chronicle screen.

> Added more explanation about the titles and star ratings obtained after

each battle.

> Clarified that both players always earn the same number of chests, even if

one player is completely wiped out. Thanks to Johnny World for the

suggestion.

> Clarified that having characters KOed does NOT seem to affect your post-

battle rating.

- Multiplayer-only weapons can't be thrown. I've noted this throughout the FAQ

wherever it seemed appropriate (weapons section, Ninja job description,

Rendezvous mission rules). I had made a goof on this in the last version of

the FAQ -- my apologizes for the oversight!

- Added the Chaos Blade as another rare item that can be obtained in Rendezvous

Mode.

- Fixed the broken Ctrl+F jump code for the Rendezvous Mission Strategies.



---Version 1.50 (2/10/08)---

- FINALLY started the multiplayer section! Yay! The section is quite rough so

far: I've just added general information on Rendezvous Mode and strategies

for 5 of the later missions. The remaining 9 missions and Melee Mode will

follow over the next few days ... but I just wanted to get SOMETHING up since

this section has been SO late in coming. Thanks to winddraco for some of the

rare items that can be found in Rendezvous Mode.

- Updated the description of the Minerva Bustier in the armor list to note that

it can be used by female characters of ANY job.

- Updated the description of the Lucavi's jobs to note that they cannot enter

water, and that the Death Seraph has Fly.

- Corrected the Job Stat Comparison chart to note the Onion Knight's evade rate

also changes when it powers up.

- Fixed the omission of Lettie's Zodiac sign in the Chapter III Battle

Strategies.

- Changed the Ctrl+F jump code for the Shields section so it doesn't overlap

with anything else.



(Older updates not listed.)



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II. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 00faq

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Q. Is Cloud still in this version of the game, like he was in the PSone

release?

A. Yes. In fact, you can actually recruit him earlier than you could before.



Q. How do I get Cloud to join my party? And where do I find his sword?

A. See the "Walkthrough - Subquests" section of the FAQ. You need to complete

the Gollund Colliery, Nelveska Temple, and Recruiting Cloud quests in

sequence.



Q. I didn't buy the flower when I had the chance. Can I still get Cloud?

A. Unfortunately, it seems that you have only one chance to buy the flower. If

you declined to buy it, you are not able to get Cloud, or complete the other

sidequests that depend on the flower. Sorry :(



Q. What's new in the PSP version of the game?

A. Check out the PSP Version Changes section - just hit Ctrl+F and type

in 00psone to jump to that section of the FAQ.



Q. How do I beat Wiegraf?

A. Equip the Auto-Potion ability on Ramza. Run from Wiegraf and keep using the

Tailwind ability to boost your speed. Repeat until you are getting seven or

eight turns in a row, then start using Focus to raise your attack power.

When you have high attack power, just attack and KO Wiegraf. Against

Belias, run up and attack him repeatedly. (If you don't have these

abilities, check out the Chapter III Battle Strategies for a slew of

alternate strategies.)



Q. Where is Midlight's Deep?

A. After you beat Mullonde Holy Place, go to the Port City of Warjilis. You

will see a scene at the bar, then the way to Midlight's Deep will appear.



Q. How do I beat / find items in Midlight's Deep?

A. See the cleverly-titled Midlight's Deep section of the walkthrough ;) .

Just hit Ctrl+F and type in 00md to jump to that section of the FAQ.



Q. OK, I think I understand the idea of finding the items, but how do I rotate

the camera to get the correct perspective?

A. Use the analog stick (in the lower left of the PSP). Every time you tap it

left or right, the perspective changes.



Q. How do I use items like Potions or Phoenix Downs?

A. Items are used with the Items command, which belongs to the Chemist job, so

switch one of your characters to a Chemist -- or assign Items as a secondary

Action Ability.



To learn how to use each type of item, the character must also learn the

ability that goes along with it. For instance, to use Phoenix Downs, you

must first learn the Chemist's "Phoenix Down" ability. These abilities can

be bought on your status screen using JP (Job Points) earned by using the

Chemist job.



Q. Are there items or events in this game that I can permanently miss? What do

I need to do to see them?

A. I've put together a Missable Items and Events list -- just press Ctrl+F and

enter 00miss to jump to that section.



Q. How do I use the Samurai's ability Iaido?

A. First learn the ability you want to use. Then buy several of the

corresponding Samurai sword. During battle, you can use the ability if you

have the appropriate type of sword in your inventory (NOT equipped). Note

that this may break the sword, so I'd buy several copies.



Q. How do I learn Ultima?

A. Only Ramza and Luso can learn Ultima. Ramza or Luso must be in their base

job; then, if someone casts the spell on him, he will learn it. (As long as

just one of the two characters learns it, you can have him cast it on the

other to learn it later.) The best time to learn the spell is from the

assassins outside Limberry Castle in Chapter IV, but you can also have Luso

learn it on the Riovanes Castle Roof in Chapter III or from another player

in the multiplayer mode. (There's also a guest character who can learn

Ultima during the final battle if Ramza or Luso casts it on her.)



Q. How do I get the lipstick accessory?

A. First, you need to keep Agrias, Alicia, Lavian, and Mustadio on your roster

until Chapter IV. Once Chapter IV begins, travel back and forth between

Gollund and Lesalia until the calendar says 1 Cancer. If you have at least

500,000 gil and are standing on a town (NOT a castle) when the calendar

turns 1 Cancer, you should get the scene where you acquire the Tynar Rouge

accessory.



Q. How can I revive a dead character?

A. If the character is simply KOed (lying down with a red counter over his/her

head), you can use a Phoenix Down, the White Mage's Raise/Arise spells, or

the Monk's Revive. Or, finish the battle before the counter expires and the

character will also be restored.



If the counter counts down past 0, the character will turn into a treasure

chest or crystal. Once this happens, the character is gone for good and

there is unfortunately NO way to revive him or her, ever. (You can recruit

replacement generic characters from the Warriors' Guild in any town; special

story characters are irreplaceable if killed.)



Q. Help! I beat the last boss and the game said it was saving afterwards, but

when I load up my last save, I'm just at the last boss fight again. Can I

go anywhere else?

A. Unfortunately, no :(. The game clear save is just to unlock some of the

multiplayer missions. If you want to continue roving the world map, you

need to keep a separate save from before you began the final sequence of

battles.



Q. How do I beat the Lionel Castle Gate?

A. There are two main methods: One is to give Ramza the Chakra ability and have

him use it every turn. The other is to use Teleport to warp outside the

gate. Either way, don't open the gate until the fight outside is finished.

For more tips, see the Battle Strategies for Chapter II. Press Ctrl+F and

type in 00bs2 to jump there.



Q. How do I learn Zodiark?

A. You can only learn Zodiark from Elidibus, the boss of Midlight's Deep, by

having him cast it on one of your Summoners. Equip the Mana Shield ability

to survive it. (You only have a random chance to learn the spell when

you're hit with it, so you might not learn it the first time you're hit with

it, but the odds are definitely in your favor!)



Q. How do I recruit monsters?

A. You need an Orator. Then just use their Entice or Tame abilities on the

monsters. (For more information, see "Recruiting Monsters" in the Monsters

section.)



Q. How do I poach enemies?

A. Equip the Thief ability Poach and kill a monster with a regular attack.

Then go to a Poachers' Den in a trade city and you can purchase what

you've poached. Note that Poachers' Dens are NOT available in all cities;

only Dorter, Warjilis, and Sal Ghidos have them, and they don't appear until

the start of Chapter III.



Q. How do I get the Genji equipment? Can I steal it from the boss who has it?

A. Unfortunately, you can never steal from that boss in the PSP version, so he

gets to keep his Genji gear to himself. Alas! However, you CAN get the

Genji Armor and Masamune from the new "Lionel's New Liege Lord" subquest.

Press Ctrl+F and enter 00lio to jump to the guide for that quest.



Q. Aren't there some new jobs added to the PSP version that weren't in the

PSone version? How do I unlock them?

A. The PSP version of FF Tactics has two new jobs. To make a character into an

Onion Knight, simply get their Squire and Chemist jobs up to level 6. To

make a character into a Dark Knight, you first Master (learn all the

abilities for) Knight and Black Mage, have Dragoon, Geomancer, Samurai,

and Ninja at level 8, AND kill 20 enemies (not just KO--they must turn to

chests or crystals) with the character. Yikes! :)



Q. How do I unlock the _______ job?

A. I've put together a Quick Reference chart with all the job requirements;

press Ctrl+F and enter 00req to get there.



Q. What are the new subquests in the PSP version? How do I access them?

A. There are three new subquests in Chapter IV, one revolving around Beowulf

and the others revolving around Agrias. Beowulf's subquest is available

after returning Reis to human form at Nelveska Temple and after completing

Mullonde Cathedral in the main storyline. (Press Ctrl+F and enter 00lio to

jump to the section with all the details on the Lionel's New Liege Lord

quest.)



Agrias has a couple of different subquests. First, if you still have Alicia

and Lavian, the Tynar Rouge event can be accessed on 1 Cancer. Second,

after Mullonde, travel to Zeltennia to open up another battle accessed via

the Tavern at Gariland. For details on these events, press Ctrl+F and

enter 00agr to jump to Agrias's Birthday or 00dis for Disorder in the

Order, respectively.



Q. How do I recruit Luso and Balthier?

A. Luso is recruited automatically in Chapter III, as you head through the

Zeklaus Desert on the way to Riovanes.



Balthier isn't available until you've completed the battle at the Free City

of Bervenia in Chapter IV. Any time after that, read the "Rash of Thefts"

rumor at the Gariland tavern, then go to the Dorter tavern and read the

"Call for Guards" rumor. Win the battle that ensues when you try to leave

town and Balthier joins.



Q. What do the Bravery and Faith statistics mean? Do I want high or low

Bravery and Faith?

A. A high Bravery is almost always good. It increases your chance of using

Reaction Abilities, and makes certain weapon types (fists, knight's swords,

and katanas) stronger. The only advantage of low Bravery is that helps you

find rare items with the Treasure Hunter ability, but you can just keep a

single low-Bravery character for that purpose.



Faith makes a character's magick more effective, but also makes enemy magick

more effective when used against that character. So, generally, you'll want

your magick users to have high Faith (to make their magick stronger) and

characters not using magick to have low Faith (to defend them from enemy

magick).



See the Bravery and Faith section for more specific details, as well as tips

on raising/lowering Bravery and Faith.



Q. What job should I use for the best HP? The best attack power?

A. I've added a Job Statistics Comparison chart to the FAQ to quickly compare

each job's stats. Ctrl+F and 00jobstat will get you there.



Q. Is there a way I can quickly gain levels?

A. Sure, see the Quickly Raising EXP & JP (00quick) for strategies for this.

With the right magicks, it's even possible to make this process completely

automatic! But keep in mind you never *need* to do this to finish the game.

Usually, a change of strategy should be enough to get you past the next

battle and you don't need to spend time leveling if you don't want to.



Q. How do I ride a Chocobo?

A. Move the character onto the same square as the Chocobo.



Q. What's the deal with Onion Knights? They seem horrible. Is there any way

to make them stronger?

A. Actually, yes. The Onion Knight's job level goes up as you master other

jobs, and if you can get the Onion Knight up to job level 8, they'll become

more powerful. Also, if you play the game's multiplayer missions, you can

earn some powerful "Onion" equipment that only Onion Knights can equip.



Q. One of my characters is threatening to leave the team. What do I do?

A. This is happening because your character has either a very low Bravery or

a very high Faith. Use Orator skills to increase his/her Bravery or lower

his/her Faith a little.



Q. Is there any kind of New Game+ mode, so that I can start from the beginning

but keep all my levels and items?

A. Unfortunately, no. FF Tactics dates back to a time before this feature

started becoming common in RPGs. Whenever you start a new game, you always

have to start from scratch.



Q. Where do I get all the Zodiac Stones?

A. Look in the Zodiac Stones list near the end of the file. Be warned that

this list contains some spoilers.



Q. Why don't any of the characters have noses?

A. Your guess is as good as mine. Some genetic defect or something, I suppose.



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III. WALKTHROUGH - MAIN QUEST

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You'll begin by entering your name and birthdate. If you want Ramza (the

protagonist) to end up with a certain Zodiac sign, see the Ivalician Calendar

section to match up the sign you want with what birthdate you should enter. In

a regular game, it's not *too* important to give him a particular Zodiac sign,

so you can enter your own birthday or whatever else you want if you'd like.

But, if you want to maximize the damage he can do to enemy bosses, Capricorn is

probably your best bet; you'll get this sign if you enter a birthdate between

December 23rd and January 19th. (Or, if you want as wide a range of Zodiac

signs as possible, you could make him a Taurus, Virgo, or Sagittarius, as no

other story characters have these signs.)



The game starts at Orbonne Monastery. A band of enemy knights shows up, and

you have to fight. This battle is pretty much automatic, as everyone except

Ramza is controlled by the computer. Gaffgarion and Agrias will take care of

most of the enemies without any trouble, so you can have Ramza just do pretty

much whatever you want. It's possible that one or more of your weaker

teammates--Alicia, Lavian, and Ladd--will get KOed. Don't worry; none of them

can die permanently in this battle. After Gaffgarion and Agrias finish wiping

out the enemies, there will be some story scenes, and Ramza will enter into an

extended flashback.



%%%CHAPTER I: THE MEAGER%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00walk1



All of Chapter I is a flashback to Ramza's days as a knight-in-training with

the Order of the Northern Sky. You (Ramza) and Delita will be at the academy

in Gariland, where you receive the assignment to defeat some thieves entering

the town. You are automatically joined by four squires and two chemists, then

the first battle begins. See "Battle Strategies" for tips on the battles.



After you win the battle, you will go to the map screen. You can click on

Gariland to visit its shops. The Tavern is used to hear information about the

game's story and world, and later to run Errands for extra JP and money and to

enter the multiplayer mode. The Outfitter is used to buy items. Finally, the

Warriors' Guild allows you to recruit new human characters to your roster.



You may want to stop at the Warriors' Guild recruit some new characters. In

particular, look for characters with reasonably high Bravery, especially if

your current characters don't have very good Bravery. Bravery affects the

your chance of using Reaction Abilities and the strength of some attacks --

higher is better, of course! (Although there are abilities to raise everyone's

Bravery later, you probably won't get them right away.) You may also want a

character or two with high Faith to turn into a magick-user. A second thing to

look at is the character's Zodiac sign. Taurus and Capricorn characters will

be particularly effective against the bosses in this chapter and the next, so

getting some of those signs on your roster will give you a bit of a leg up.

If you want to spend the time, you can mine the Guild until you get just the

character you want. If you don't like the character that appears; simply

select "Don't Hire." You won't be charged anything and you can select Male

Soldier or Female Soldier to roll another character. You can keep doing this

until you get some high Bravery characters -- though it's certainly not

necessary to spend the time here if you don't want. Note that female recruits

are 100 gil cheaper and probably more useful in the long run since some of the

game's most powerful items can only be used by female characters.



This is probably the only time in the game that you'll want to use the

Warriors' Guild. If you lose any of your main team members later in the game,

you're probably better off resetting. It's tough to replace characters who

have already been built up with a lot of abilities!



Stop by the Outfitter's in Gariland to buy some Potions. If one or both of

your Chemists has enough JP to learn the Phoenix Down ability, learn that

ability and then buy a few (1-2) Phoenix Downs at the store. Phoenix Downs are

great to have as they allow you to revive a KOed character. You'll also want

to equip one of your Chemists with the Mythril Knife you picked up as a Battle

Trophy in the first battle; it's stronger than the Daggers they already have.



Save the game by pressing Triangle and choosing Data, then head west to

Mandalia Plain. As soon as you leave the city, you'll have a flashback (yes, a

flashback within a flashback) to the death of Ramza's father Barbaneth. After

that sequence has ended, you'll be back in Gariland. Click on Mandalia Plain

once again and this time you'll actually get there.



At Mandalia Plain, you'll meet Argath, under attack by the Corpse Brigade. You

can choose whether or not to help him (bottom option) or just go after the

Corpse Brigade (to option). This has no long-term impact on the storyline;

it only affects the victory conditions for the upcoming battle:

- If you choose not to help Argath (top choice), your goal is just to defeat

all the enemies. It doesn't matter if Argath is KOed during the battle

or not. Choosing this option also adds 10 points to the Bravery score of

every character in your current squad, including Delita. 2 points of this

change will remain even after the battle.

- Choosing to help Argath (bottom choice) adds an additional requirement to

the battle: you'll have to keep Argath from getting KOed during the battle.

This option has no effect on your team's Bravery.

The first option both makes the battle easier AND gives you a boost in Bravery.

High Bravery is pretty useful since it increases some weapons' attack strength

and your chance of using Reaction Abilities. There's no benefit at all from

choosing the second option, so choose the first!



When the fight concludes, Argath will join as a guest regardless of which

option you choose before the battle. Back on the map, go on up to Eagrose

Castle. You'll have a brief chat with Dycedarg, then Zalbaag will send you to

rendezvous with his spy at Dorter.



At this point, you might want to consider changing some of your characters to

new jobs. Chemists are really more useful than either White Mages or Black

Mages, so keep your Chemists as-is. But you might want to change some of your

Squires to Knights, since Knights have more HP and damage potential than

Squires. (Archers are also available at this time. They're good in

general, but I'd skip them for the next few battles as melee combat is best

for them.) I made Ramza into a Knight at this point. It's probably a good

idea to keep at least one Squire, though. Why is that? As long as you have at

least one Squire active in battle, everyone will earn some JP towards that job,

and that will help you buy useful Squire abilities like Counter Tackle, Move

+1, and JP Boost. Move +1 and JP Boost are particulary useful -- JP Boost

increases the amount of JP you earn, and will help you learn all the other

abilities faster--it's a good investment! At any rate, if you do change

jobs, be sure to buy (and equip) new gear for those characters.



Before you leave Eagrose, stop by the Outfitter. There's new equipment for

sale here. Stock up on Potions, then arm your characters with the new gear.

Make sure all your Squires and Knights have Longswords, the best weapon

available to them right now. In particular, if you changed any of your

characters' jobs, be sure they have equipment that goes with the new jobs. You

can safely skip the Mythril Knife, though--it'll just increase a Chemist's

attack power by 1 point, and they don't do much fighting, anyway. The shop

also sells Battle Boots, which increase your movement range by 1 tile. As

handy is this, they're pricey, so you won't be able to afford them for your

whole team. If you buy them for anyone, give them to your Chemist, so he/she

can get around the battlefield quickly enough to heal people.



Also stop by the shop at Gariland, which sells different items than the one at

Eagrose. The Eagrose has equipment for Knights and Archers, but the shop

offers Plumed Hats and Leather Clothing, which is better armor for your Squires

and Chemists. Pick up these upgrades as well; you want to make sure your

Chemists stay alive so they can heal people! (Unlike in a lot of games,

armor in FF Tactics doesn't actually reduce the damage you take; it gives you

more HP or MP. Still, it helps you stay alive longer!) Don't forget that

you change Delita's and Argath's equipment, too, despite the fact that they're

guest characters. You can (and should!) have them learn new abilities, too!



You may want to gain some levels before proceeding. You can do this by

strolling back and forth across the Mandalia Plain until you get into a random

battle. Note that while Ramza is required in story battles, you do NOT have to

deploy Ramza during the random battles. (Also, since Delita and Argath are

Guest characters, they won't participate in random battles, only story ones.)



By the way, it'll help you out in some of the future battles if you're able to

teach Argath a simple Black Magick spell. This is pretty tricky, though, since

he doesn't participate in any of the random battles and can only earn JP in the

story battles. So, the only way to do this is to have your Chemists take

enough actions during the story battles that Argath gains some JP in the

Chemist job and is able to unlock the Black Mage job. It's cool if you can do

this, but don't worry too much about it if you can't; it's not *necessary*.



Your next story destination is the Siedge Weald, to the east of Gariland. Head

down that direction. When you get to Gariland, you'll see a scene promoting

the multiplayer mode. Continue on to the Weald and complete the battle there.



Before proceeding on to Dorter, make sure your Chemists have learned both

Potion and Phoenix Down. You can skip the abilities for all the individual

condition-curing items, though; most of the conditions are that bad and when

you get Remedies, those will cure *any* status change. Other good abilities

to learn are Stone and Rush. When you get the JP, pick up Move +1, Focus, and

Counter Tackle. Ramza can also use the Tailwind ability, which you'll want to

get as well. Chemists should have Potion and Phoenix Down.



When you enter Dorter, there will be a cutscene, and then you'll be tossed into

a battle at the Dorter Slums. This is a pretty tough battle. If you don't win

at first, try again, or build up your levels first. Upon your victory, you'll

be able to visit the town. There's no new equipment to buy, but stock up on

items. You'll want at least 10 Potions and 4 Phoenix Downs. Potions are cheap

(50 gil each), so there's no reason not to carry plenty. Also, winning the

battle at Dorter Slums netted you an Iron Sword, which is a better weapon than

anything you can find in stores. Equip it one of your characters.



Again, you may want to build levels before proceeding to the next battle.

When you're ready, go on up to the Zeklaus Desert, where you'll have a battle

at the Sand Rat's Sieve. This is a difficult fight--the toughest in Chapter

I--so it may take you a couple tries. After you win, you'll rescue the

Marquis. You'll also pick up a Blind Knife. It's not stronger than the other

knives you already have, but it does inflict Blind status on enemies (lowering

their hit rate), so give it to a Chemist.



Return to Eagrose Castle. You'll meet Duke Larg, and then Dycedarg will let

Ramza and friends in on the next mission against the Corpse Brigade. The

shops at all three towns will now be stocked with new items. At Eagrose, you

can buy Iron Swords for both your Squires and Knights, as well as

Escutcheons, Iron Helms, and Bronze Armor for any Knights you have. Gariland

has better light armor, used by jobs other than Knights. If you're using

mages, you can buy new magick weapons at Gariland and Dorter, as well as Hempen

Robes, which will raise their MP max. All towns also carry a new accessory--

the Shoulder Cape, which will boost both your physical and magick evade rates

by a little bit (10%). It's not really as useful as the Battle Boots, though.



The most important new item isn't actually an equipment--it's the Hi-Potion,

which is now for sale under Items! Hi-Potions restore 70 HP instead of the 30

you get from a regular Potion, and since you should have a lot more than

30 HP now, you'll need the healing boost. You can't use Hi-Potions unless

you've learned the Hi-Potion ability (under Chemist), so be sure to have your

Chemist(s) learn this ability.



Buy as much of the new gear as you can. There's a lot to buy, so you might not

be able to afford it all. Aside from restocking your item supply, the

priorities are probably the Iron Swords and Bronze Armor at Eagrose, and the

Leather Plate at Gariland, as well as restocking your item supply.



After you're done shopping, your new destination is the Brigands' Den, south of

the Mandalia Plain. You may want to bring more male characters than female

ones here, as there's a chance that one of the enemies can charm a female

character--but it's pretty unlikely, so don't go out of your way to adjust your

roster. Also, if you happen to have any characters on your roster who are

Tauruses, Capricorns, or male Pisces, they're good to deploy here. You'll be

facing your first boss character here, and she's a female Virgo. The three

Zodiac signs listed above will do the most damage to her. Again, it's

definitely not essential to have them, but it'll help you out if you do.



The Brigands' Den is easier than the Sand Rat's Sieve, so if you won

there, you should be able to attain victory here. Victory here nets you a

Bronze Shield, which is a more effective shield than anything else you've got

at this point. Following the battle, there will be a cutscene at Eagrose as

the Corpse Brigade strikes back.



Strip Argath of all his equipment, as he'll be leaving your party shortly. Go

back up to Eagrose. A series of scenes will follow in which Ramza and Delita

decide to rescue Tietra, and Argath leaves.



At this point, you'll probably want to start changing jobs, if you haven't

already. If you change any of your characters to Monks, do so; they're very

strong fighters. If any of your characters have enough JP to buy the Knight

abiity Equip Heavy Armor, a good strategy is to learn that ability and then

make the character into a Monk--the heavy armor will make up for the Monk's

otherwise poor HP count. It would also help to have a Black Mage and Archer.

However, you will still want to have a healer, so give one of your characters

the Items ability. Before switching out of the Chemist job, you need to learn

(and equip) the Throw Item ability ... otherwise, your items will have a range

of 1, and, as Sonic would say, that's NO GOOD!



After you've finished changing jobs, be sure to buy matching equipment for

them. If you're just now switching to Archers, I'll explain the difference

between bowguns and regular bows: bowguns only require one hand, allowing you

to equip a shield, but bows deal more damage. Since Archers are usually in the

back line and don't get attacked too much, a shield isn't too important, so I

almost always use regular bows.



Note, also, that the Flame, Ice, and Thunder Rods (for Black Mages) boost the

damage dealt by your Fire-family, Blizzard-family, and Thunder-family magicks,

respectively. A good trick, then, is to buy a particular Rod and then learn

some of the spells that go along with it (e.g., buy the Ice Rod and then try

to learn Blizzard and Blizzara). This will increase the damage you can do with

your magick. These rods also sometimes cast Fire, Blizzard, or Thunder when

executing a physical attack, if your Black Mage happens to get caught in a

melee.



Return to Gariland. As you cross Mandalia Plain, an animated cutscene will

play. Once you get to Gariland, buy plenty of Hi-Potions (12 or so) and

Phoenix Down (6 should be sufficient). If you weren't able to purchase all

the equipment upgrades you wanted before the Brigands' Den, you could do so now

as well, but you're probably better off saving your money--there are even

better items coming soon. But if any of your equipment was stolen by the

Thieves in the last battle, be sure to replace it.



Go north from Gariland to the Lenalian Plateau. You'll have another battle

against Milleuda (Wiegraf's sister). She is of course still a female Virgo,

so any Taurus, Capricorn, and male Pisces characters you have will be the most

effective against her. After you win this battle, the shops will again update

their shelves with new equipment. As before, you'll find heavy armor and most

kinds of weapons in Eagrose, and lighter armor in Gariland and Dorter. Buy

what you can and replace any items that Milleuda may have broken, then forge on

the Fovoham Windflats.



At Fovoham Windflats, you'll square off against Wiegraf and his Chocobo Boco (a

reference to Final Fantasy V). This battle isn't too difficult if you have

good jobs. If you want to exploit your Zodiac signs to maximize damage against

him, he's a male Virgo, so Taurus, Capricorn, and female Pisces will be the

most effective.



Nothing is added to the shops after the battle at Fovoham, so if your item

supply is okay, you can continue directly on to Ziekden Fortress, the final

battle of the chapter. You'll probably want non-basic Jobs (particularly a

Monk or an Archer) for this battle. A Black Mage with Blizzard family magicks

will be quite useful, especially if paired with an Ice Rod. And, again,

Taurus, Capricorn, and female Pisces characters will be good against the boss.

If you need JP, you can always go to the Siedge Weald or the Mandalia Plain to

fight some random battles.



At Ziekden Fortress, you'll find Tietra being held captive by a Gragoroth, a

Corpse Brigade knight. Argath arrive with some troops, and you'll find

yourself battling an unexpected enemy. After you kill him, there are a couple

FMV scenes, the fort blows up, and the chapter ends. The game will give you a

chance to save, and then you'll move on to Chapter II.



%%%CHAPTER II: THE MANIPULATIVE & THE SUBSERVIENT%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00walk2



You now return to the present, at Orbonne Monastery. Your current mission is

to rescue Princess Ovelia.



After a brief chat, you'll be given a chance to add Ramza's fellow mercenary

Ladd and both of Agrias's Knights (Alicia and Lavian) to the party. There's no

real reason not to take them along, so sign them up! They start with a bare

minimum of abilities, though, so they probably won't see much use compared to

the characters you're carrying over from Chapter I.



Note that to do one of Agrias's Subquests in Chapter IV, you MUST keep Alicia

and Lavian (as well as Agrias, of course) on your roster until the subquest,

even if you never use them in battle. Don't dismiss them or let them get

killed if you want to complete all the sidequests.



Agrias and Gaffgarion will also join as Guests. You still have all your

characters from Chapter I (except Delita) as well.



You'll see that Ramza's appearance has changed at the start of the chapter.

His Squire job is now able to equip heavy armor and shields, plus he has a new

ability to learn, Steel. Steel gives a character a +5 Bravery boost during a

battle, and some of this increase will remain even after the battle. Raising

your Bravery makes your Reaction Abilities and some attacks stronger, so this

is a good ability to learn. If Ramza has some spare turns near the end of a

battle, you can spend them using Steel to boost up characters' Bravery.



If you have any abilities to learn, get them. Since the Guest AI can be

somewhat poor at targeting spells, you may want to de-equip any spellcasting

abilities (Black Magick or Mystic Arts) that Agrias may have equipped. When

you've got your team organized, go north to the only location available to you:

Dorter, where a battle awaits you. Win it (well, obviously) and you'll have

access to all of the map again.



At this point, you should have had all your characters upgraded from the

beginning Jobs (Squire or Chemist) to more advanced ones. In particular,

you'll want to have a Monk, Archer, Black Mage, and White Mage somewhere in the

party. I like making Ramza into a Monk; you'll want to have him learn either

the Monk's Chakra ability or the Time Mage's Teleport for use in a battle near

the end of the chapter. An Orator can also be useful to have on the team, but

might take some time to get, as you have to get the Mystic job up to job level

3, and Mystic itself requires job level 3 of White Mage. If you want to take

the time to get it, you can also get the Thief Job, which is unlocked by

getting Archer to job level 3.



You now have the ability to take Errands at taverns. You can earn a lot of gil

and some JP from these jobs, so take them up (never more than one at a time,

though). Always choose to spend the maxinum number of days possible. While

the characters are away, you can continue on without them, or you have the main

group build up job levels with random battles. Or, if you just want to pass

time, you can walk back and forth between two blue dots on the map, which will

never trigger any random battles. (You can use Eagrose & Ziekden Fortress, or

Dorter & the Monastery.)



All the stores have new equipment, so pay them a visit to gear up your

characters. Remember that you'll have to hike back to Eagrose to purchase

heavy armor and most weapons. Conversely, you'll only find lighter armor at

the other two cities. Don't buy any equipment for Gaffgarion. (It's OK

to get stuff for Agrias, but her equipment is already really good.) Stock up

on Hi-Potions and Phoenix Downs.



Note you can have random battles at the Fovoham Windflats and the Zeklaus

Desert that occur on entirely different maps from the story battles there.

They also feature some advanced monsters, so try recruiting them with a Orator.

Just make sure to keep an eye on the number of eggs they produce; wipe out the

majority of eggs before they clog your roster.



This is a good chance to build up your characters if you want. As long as you

have the Jobs I recommended above and new equipment for your main squad of

characters, you should be fine. When you feel confident that you're done

preparing, go to Araguay Woods, east of Dorter. Here you have to save Boco

the chocobo from goblins. As when you met Argath, you're given two options,

which will affect your victory conditions:

- If you choose not to help Boco (top choice), your goal is just to defeat

all the enemies, and you don't have to keep Boco from being KOed. However,

you'll also suffer a 10 point PENALTY to everyone's Bravery; 2 points of

which will remain even after the battle.

- Choosing to help Boco (bottom choice) means you must keep Boco from getting

KOed during the battle, but does not penalize your Bravery.

This time, the top choice still gives you an easier battle, but you'll take a

hit to your Bravery for selecting it. Since protecting Boco during the battle

isn't hard at all, choose the second option to keep from losing Bravery. After

the battle, Boco will join.



Back on the map, go into your roster screen and change Gaffgarion into a Time

Mage or another crummy job. If you have the auto-equip feature on, be sure to

also strip off all his gear. Equip it on one of your other characters. He has

good armor, and the Power Gauntlet will give you an attack boost. (It's great

for an Archer, or another character who doesn't need the movement bonus of the

Battle Boots.) Then continue on to Zeirchele Falls. It's pretty here, but

there's still a battle awaiting you. Be sure to deploy an Archer for it.



After the battle, Delita will leave you with Ovelia. Ramza sets a new course

for Lionel Castle, so Fort Besselat disappears from your map, not to return

until much later in the game. Back on the map, help yourself to Gaffgarion's

equipment if you didn't earlier. If you need items, go back to Dorter.

There's also some new equipment for sale at Dorter and at Eagrose, so it's

probably worth making the trip as you'll want the new gear for the next battle.

However, you may want to pass on the Poison Rod for your Black Mages. While

it does a little more damage physically (and sometimes poisons its target), it

doesn't boost the power of any of your Black Magicks like the Flame, Ice, and

Thunder Rods do. Since your Black Mages usually attack with magick most of the

time (I assume ;) ), you're probably better off sticking your existing rod.



While Ovelia is listed on your roster as a Guest, she won't actually

participate in any more battles. So, you're safe de-equipping her Wizard's

Hat and Wizard's Robe and giving them to another character. The Wizard's Robe

is an especially nice pick-up since you can't buy them stores yet. It raises

your magick attack, so give it to one of your mages. However, she WILL be able

to use some of her abilities later. So, go into Ovelia's ability screen and

teach her as many abilities under Princess as you can, then equip them.

They'll come in handy in a few battles later down the road.



The next battle is a tough one, so be prepared. You'll want Archers and Black

Mages, and, if you don't include a White Mage in the party, one of the

characters should have White Magick as a secondary ability. A Black Chocobo

also be helpful, if you can get one. (Boco will randomly lay eggs and they may

hatch into Black Chocobos, but there's obviously an element of luck/randomness

to this.) I ended up using Ramza, two Archers, and a Black Mage. If you don't

When you're ready, go south past the falls to the Castled City of Zaland.



You'll meet Mustadio, who is being chased by some bad guys. Once again,

you're given two options for the upcoming battle:

- Choosing the first option means that you DO NOT have to keep Mustadio from

getting KOed during the battle. This option raises the Bravery of each

character on your current squad (including Agrias) by 5, 1 point of which is

permanent.

- Choosing the second option means that you DO have to keep from getting

Mustadio from getting KOed. However, this option raises all the characters'

Bravery by 10, 2 points of which are permanent.

In other words, you'll get a Bravery increase either way, but you'll get a

BIGGER increase for helping Mustadio. Of course, this also makes the battle

harder. So, there's no clear "best option" here. It's up to you which you

choose. Since this battle can be pretty challenging, you might want to just

pick the first option; it makes the fight quite a bit easier and you're only

missing out on 1 extra point of Bravery. Again, no matter what you pick,

Mustadio joins you afterwards as a Guest.



When all the talking is finished, you're now able to visit the stores in

Zaland. There's not very much in the way of selection, but if you didn't

upgrade your equipment after Zeirchele Falls, the Adamant Vest, Wizard's Hat,

and Serpent Staff are all for sale here. (There's nothing brand new.) There

are also a pair of new Errands available at the Tavern.



Your next stop is Balias Tor. When you first try to leave Zaland, there will

be a cutscene. Afterwards, you'll be back on the map, but Balias Tor is still

red. Travel there for real this time, and you'll get into a fight. Following

the fight, a cut scene will pop up back at Eagrose Castle with Dycedarg and

Gaffgarion scheming.



You can now finally get to Lionel Castle--don't worry; there's no fight!

You'll chat with Delacroix and learn about the Zodiac Stones. Agrias and

Ovelia will then leave the party. Then you get to go shopping! There is a lot

of really powerful equipment you can get here, so load up on it (you should

have a lot of money by now). The Lightning Bow is a great weapon for any

Archers you have; it has a fairly high attack power and sometimes casts the

Thundaga spell. The stores also have a lot of new accessories -- you might

want to pick up a Mage's Cloak or two for your magick users. Finally, you can

now buy the Remedy item in all stores. It can cure any status ailment, so now

there's really no point for your Chemists to learn the abilities for any of the

other status-restoring items.



Buy any stuff you want in Lionel now, as you won't be able to do so later.

Since your access to the shops will be blocked off later, it might be a wise

idea to buy some spare pieces of heavy armor and helms. That way, if any of

your gear gets stolen or broken, you have a replacement.



Now that you've reached Lionel Castle, you'll be able to deploy 5 characters

in both story and random battles, instead of just 4. If you've been using a

core team of just four characters, be sure to get a fifth equipped.



Also, you may want to send some of your characters out on a errand if you

haven't been doing them -- you can earn a lot of money from some. Again,

walking between Dorter and Orbonne Monastery is an easy way to pass time and

complete the errands while avoiding random battles. Be sure to complete all

the errands before heading on to Goug, though. Once you get to Goug, it will

be a while before you can go back to the other towns to retrieve your

characters.



If you go back up to Zaland, you can also buy some new light armor: Green

Berets and Wizard Clothing. Keep your magick users equipped with Wizard's

Hats, though, as those raise their magick power.



If Mustadio has enough JP, pick up the Seal Evil ability for him if you haven't

already--it'll be handy in the next battle, as it turns undead to stone.



On to the fenlands. This should be a pretty easy battle as you fight your way

through here on to Goug. However, there's a small chance that you may

encounter a Pig monster here in the initial story battle. (It does not appear

during random battles.) If you have an Orator, deploy him/her so that you can

recruit the Pig if you see it. You can use that Pig to breed monsters from the

pig family and then use the Thief ability Poach to kill them, which will yield

great rare items. (Unfortunately, you won't actually be able to pick up the

items until the Poachers' Dens open in Chapter III.) The next opportunity to

get a Pig won't be until Chapter IV, so if you're particularly intent on

getting a leg up on the enemy, you could keep entering the battle over and over

and resetting until the Pig appears and you can recruit it. But, that's

definitely NOT necessary; you can skip the Pig entirely and do just fine!



Upon arriving in Goug, there will be a brief scene and then you're back on the

map. The store doesn't have much of anything, but if you've got a Orator or

Chemist, be sure to buy them a Romandan Pistol. The Romandan Pistol has a

great rangeoverall, and is especially useful if you have a chance to pair it

with the Knight's Arts of War abilities -- you can use it rend enemies'

equipments or stats at a distance! Goug also has a number of accessories

Make sure you're stocked up on Hi-Potions and Phoenix Downs; you'll need them.

You may also want to equip the Archer's Bane ability on any characters who have

it.



Try to leave the city and you'll be immediately thrust into a battle. Deploy

your Orator (if you have one), somebody with a bow, and somebody with Black

Magick. Ludovich, the leader of the Baert Company, will appear with Mustadio

and Besrudio (Mustadio's father) captive. Mustadio reveals the location of the

Zodiac Stone. Ramza forks it over and you find out that Delacroix was in on

the plot. It's fight time.



After a fairly tough battle, you check on Besrudio. Mustadio reveals that the

Zodiac Stone that Ludovich got was really a fake. Mustadio will now join as

you a normal party member -- now you can control him! The only downside to

this is that he can now be permanently killed. Be sure to keep him alive;

you'll need him to complete most of the subquests in Chapter IV. Musty's

equipment is all gone, so be sure to re-equip him. Also, if he learned any

skills while he was a Guest, they're gone for some reason.



The route back through the fenlands disappears. Take the ship (well, just walk

across the ocean) over to the Port City of Warjilis. Upon getting off the

ship, you'll see a FMV sequence with Delita. After that scene's ended, you can

explore the town. There's no new equipment available, but to make some easy

money, go to the bar and accept the errand (to find the Highwind!), then go

back to Goug and get the job there as well. (There will be a cutscene with

Delacroix's scheming when you leave Warjilis the first time). Just go back and

forth between the two cities until both jobs are complete. If you weren't able

to afford all the equipment you wanted in Goug or elsewhere, you should be able

to get it now.



Now that you have Mustadio, a good general trick for leveling up quickly is to

use Arm Shot or Leg Shot to debilitate the last enemy in a battle. Then,

you're free to let the other enemies turn into crystals/chests. Crystals from

human enemies are often a good source of new abilities. Also, while the last

enemy is Disabled or Immobilized, you can have your characters attack each

other to raise JP. If you use the right strategy, you shouldn't really need to

grind in this fashion, but it's an efficient way to raise levels if you decide

to do so.



Now go up to Balias Swale, where you'll find another fight. You'll deploy

two squads here to save Agrias from Delacroix's Gryphon Knights. This is a

really easy fight, so you might want to deploy some weaker characters to

give them a boost. Agrias will rejoin, this time as a controllabe, non-guest

character. Again, if you want to complete all the sidequests in the game,

don't dismiss her or let her get killed.



After getting Agrias, if you head back down to Warjilis, you'll find the shops

have a few new items available. Most notably, you can replace your Power

Gauntlets with the Diamond Bracelets, which gives you the Power Gauntlet's +1

Physical Attack but also +1 Magick Attack and immunity to Slow. The latter

ability is pretty handy in the upcoming battle, so buy some for your main

squad. You can also upgrade your Wizard Clothing to the Brigandine, which

gives you a few more HP. (You'll probably want to keep magick-oriented

characters on the Wizard Clothing or robes, though, for the magick bonus.)

There's also the Mage's Staff, and, in the unlikely event you have a Samurai,

the Osafune katana.



Your next stop is Golgollada Gallows. Make sure you're ready; this is a tough

battle. The execution turns out to be a trap, and you have to fight

Gaffgarion. Bring your Diamond Bracelets!



After you attain victory at the Gallows (it may take a few tries!), you'll see

a scene back at Lionel Castle in which you find out more about Ovelia's past

and Delacroix's plans. Then you're back on the map. When you move back up to

Balias Swale, you'll see a cutscene with Wiegraf.



Now, you can now wander around the map again. Next up is the final battles of

the chapter, which occur at Lionel Castle. However, if you want to travel

elsewhere, you can do so. If you click on any of the destinations PAST

Lionel Castle, you can walk right through the castle without getting into a

fight. Just don't click on the castle ITSELF until you're ready to fight.



To prepare for the upcoming fight, you'll want to make sure that Ramza has

either the Teleport movement ability (Time Mage) or Chakra (Monk). If you're

using Chakra, you can either make Ramza into a Monk or by assigning Martial

Arts as a secondary action ability. It's also probably a good idea to equip

the Archer's Bane rection ability on any characters that have it. When you've

done all that, it's time for the final battles of the chapter.



When you click on Lionel Castle, you'll have no choice but to attack the

gate. As Ramza tries to open the gate, Gaffgarion shows up yet again and

surrounds the castle. If you thought the Gallows was bad, here's more fun.

Actually, the gate isn't as bad if you play your cards right (see the battle

strategies). The save game screen will pop up at the conclusion of the battle

-- there's another couple battles right after this one. It's your call as to

whether you should save. I'd recommend saving in a separate slot in case you

need to go back to get more JP.



After saving, you cut back to Delita at Zeirchele Falls with Ovelia. There's

an easy battle here against the Order of the Northern Sky, but you get to

control Delita during it :)



Afterwards, you're given another chance to save (again, don't save in your

main slot). Then your roster screen shows up, allowing Ramza's crew to learn

new abilities or change equipment (which might be necessary if the Knights at

the gate used Rend on you.) When you leave the formation screen, you'll

immediately go to the next battle and start deploying your characters. This

time you're up against Delacroix, who uses his Zodiac Stone to turn (with some

pyrotechnics) into Cuchulainn. Beat him and he'll blow up (with more nifty

effects) and drop another Zodiac Stone.



Delita delivers Ovelia to Duke Goltanna, while Duke Larg maintains Orinus as

the heir to the throne. As the War of the Lions begins over these claims to

the throne, Chapter II draws to a close, and you're again given a chance to

save.



%%%CHAPTER III: THE VALIANT%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00walk3



Three months into the War of the Lions, things are looking bad for both Larg

and Goltanna. After a scene of Goltanna's council of war, we cut back to

Ramza, whose new mission is to convince Zalbaag that someone is manipulating

Ivalice into the war.



You'll start the chapter positioned at Dorter. The shops have a lot of new

stuff--as weird as it seems, those Croakadile Bags are *really* powerful,

although expensive. The Headbands are also a great buy; not only do they

increase your HP over the previous hats, they also give you a physical attack

boost. (You may want to keep your magick users with the Wizard's Hats, though,

as those boost their *magick* power.) Now that you're in Chapter III, you can

also buy X-Potions, so you'll want to learn the corresponding ability with any

item-users you have.



The Poachers' Dens are also now open. You can now use the Thief's "Poach"

ability to poach enemies and get items from them at the Poachers' Den. Poached

items are cheap; you can buy them for half their usual price! You can also get

some rare items from poaching that you can't get anywhere else! Note, though,

that Poachers' Dens are only found in Dorter and Warjilis, not other cities.

(Sal Ghidos, which you'll reach in Chapter IV, also has a Poachers' Den.)



For additional shopping opportunities, visit one of the castles, Lionel or

Eagrose. There you can pick up the Ancient Sword, a strong sword that can also

Immobilize enemies, the Mythril Bow, and some other stuff. The Fire Shield and

Ice Shield absorb fire and ice, respectively, which lets you do a handy trick:

Cast a fire or ice spell that targets both enemies and an ally with the shield

-- you'll damage the enemies, AND heal your character! Not only does this let

you get around the "friendly fire" effects when fighting in close quarters, it

even replenishes your HP!



All this new equipment is expensive, so luckily there's a whole slew of new

errands, at least one in every town. If you're short on cash, I recommend

spending a while completing them, buying stuff, and building up your

characters. If you're offered any "contest" errand, take it right away,

because you won't have the chance for very long.



There are some abilities you'll need at the end of Chapter III that it's a good

idea to start learning now. You don't need these abilities just yet, but

if you build your characters towards those abilities now, you won't have to

spend time grinding for them later. Specifically, Ramza MUST have Focus and

Tailwind (both Squire), and Auto-Potion (Chemist). If you have the chance to

unlock the Ninja job for him, that'll also help out a lot, although it's not

strictly necessary. (It can be a bit of pain to unlock, though, as it requires

Ramza to at least have Archer at level 4, Thief at level 5, and Geomancer at

level 2.) For your other characters, acquiring the Dragoon or Ninja job on as

many as characters as possible is helpful, but also not a must-have. Combining

the Ninja's inherent speed and double attack with the Monk's Brawler ability

makes for an incredibly strong and quick fighter.



You may also want to start developing a stealing specialist, if you haven't

already. You'll be encountering more and more enemies with rare equipment

that you can't buy in stores, so you may want to swipe it :). It'll be a big

help if you can learn the Thief's Steal abilities, and either Concentration

(Archer) or Brawler (Monk), either of which will improve your stealing success

rate. If you don't get to this until Chapter IV, though, it's not a big deal.



Some other abilities that you want to work towards over the course of the

chapter are the Samurai's Shirahadori reaction ability, the Ninja's Dual Wield

support ability, and the Time Mage's Teleport movement ability. Shirahadori

blocks physical attacks outright and, if combined with a high Bravery stat

(which you can boost with Ramza's Steel ability), can render you virtually

impervious to physical attacks (save arrows). It's one of the best abilities

in the game. If you haven't already unlocked the Samurai job, though, you'll

need to get a character with Knight level 4, Monk level 5, and Dragoon level 2

to become a Samurai. The Ninja's Dual Wield ability is also great as it allows

you equip two weapons at once and effectively double (or come close to

doubling) your attack power. Finally, the Time Mage's Teleport is helpful both

for navigating battlefields with tall walls (as it allows you to essentially

warp right up them), for teleporting through enemy forces blocking your path,

and for extending your move range in a pinch. If you try to teleport long

distances, it'll probably fail, but this ability is still extremely helpful for

navigating heights and crowded maps. If you have a Summoner, the Golem summon

will also help out in a battle near the end of the chapter.



Lastly, if you haven't been using Ramza's Steel to work on building up your

Bravery, try to do so when you get a chance -- having a high Bravery will make

your Reaction Abilities a lot more useful (such as the aforementioned

Shirahadori).



When you're ready to get on with the game, equip your team with gear that

boosts their Move or Jump ranges. Safeguard may also be helpful. Then go up

from Dorter, across the Zeklaus Desert, to the Mining Town of Gollund. There's

a fight here where you have to rescue Orran (although I can't imagine he'd need

much rescuing). Black Magick and Thieves are handy here. After you save

Orran, you'll chat briefly, and then he'll head off to the south, sadly

depriving you of his super-powerful Celestial Stasis spell.



There's no new equipment in the Gollund shops, so just head straight on to

Lesalia. There's no fight when you first get here, just a short chat with

Zalbaag. However, as soon as you leave, you'll have to fight Zalmour. It's a

pretty easy battle. Alma then joins up as a guest. When you have a chance,

de-equip her Healing Staff, Barette, and Red Shoes. The Healing Staff and

Barette are items you can't ever buy in shops, and the Red Shoes won't be

available to purchase until much later. (It's safe to de-equip all her gear

since, despite being a guest, she won't actually participate in any more

battles.) The Healing Staff is an interesting "weapon" in that it actually

restores HP to the character hit by it. Equipping it on a magick-oriented

character can be quite useful since they probably won't be doing much fighting

anyway and it gives you a free source of healing.



If you want to complete some errands easily, you can take the ones at Gollund

and Lesalia and then just walk back and forth until they're done. Before

leaving this region, you can also stop at the store in Lesalia to buy new

heavy armor. Then go down to Dorter; there's some new equipment here as well.

In particular, the Jujitsu Gi is a great set of clothes for fighting-oriented

characters as it also boots your physical atack power, and the Celebrant's

Miter is a hat that boosts your MP. (You'll probably want to keep your

fighters using the Headband for the attack boost.) Depending on what jobs

you're using, there may be weapon upgrades as well.



A more powerful gun, the Mythril Gun, is now available for sale. Since Goug is

the only city that sells guns, though, you'll have to walk all the way down

there if you want to buy it. (Note that the sea route between Goug and

Warjilis has vanished as of Chapter III.) It's 2 points stronger and a

stronger guns never appears in stores, so it's worth the trip if you didn't

get the chance to steal them during the Gollund battle.



Purchase anything you want, then head to Orbonne Monastery. Note that

once you enter, you'll be locked into a series of three battles, so make sure

that you're well stocked with supplies. You could also pick up a few of the

Jade Armlet accessory, since they'll be helpful in an upcoming battle, but

they're fairly expensive and not really necessary.



At Orbonne Monastery, enter the Monastery Vaults (it's the only option

available), where you'll find Simon wounded. He tells you about Funebris's

plot, and Ramza chases after the troops looking for the Virgo Stone. You'll

have a chance to save your game. All you'd have to repeat if you died is that

short scene with Simon, but if you want to save, save in a separate slot

since you're locked into a series of battle. The roster screen will come up,

then you will go down to the second floor and have a fight.



After beating the second floor, you have another save opportunity. Again,

save in a slot separate from your main file. For the next battle, you may want

to equip any accessories you have that boost your Jump statistic. After you

leave the roster screen, you'll go to the third floor for another battle

against Isilud. Upon winning it, there's yet another save point, and then the

last of the three battles, this time with Wiegraf. This time, equip any Jade

Armlets you have to protect yourself from his sword attacks. Afterwards,

Isilud escapes with a friend and your Zodiac Stones captive. Outside, Wiegraf

transforms in a rather frightening scene and Simon then shows up to give you

the Scriptures of Germonique.



Back on the map, go to the Chronicle option and check out your Artefacts.

Examine the Scriptures of Germonique and press Triangle to read it. After you

read it (which takes a while), go to Dorter. A mage will demand the Scriptures

and ask if you've read them. It doesn't seem to matter what you say. When he

leaves, the route to Riovanes Castle will open. Try to leave Dorter (just

click anywhere on the map) and you'll see an FMV scene with Delita and Ovelia.



After the scene concludes, go into Dorter and check out the shops, which once

again have some new equipment. The Power Garbs are a great buy; they're good

new clothes that also raise your attack power. And don't miss the White Robe

for your magick-users; you'll have to scroll down through all the clothes to

find it. However, you may want to keep your Headbands and Celebrant's Miters

instead of buying Black Cowls, since the Cowls don't have any special stat

boost. Similarly, the Diamond Shields are not an especially great shield since

they don't have any elemental properties, nor the magick block rate of the

Aegis Shield.



There are also a few new errands available down at Lionel Castle and the

Castled City of Zaland, as well as at Eagrose Castle.



It's now time to head north to Riovanes. As you head up through the Zeklaus

Desert, you'll run into a fixed battle. Deploy your characters; if you have

anyone who can Poach or Entice/Tame monsters, they're good to bring here.

There will be a CG scene, as Ramza jumps in to help Luso, and then the battle

starts. Defeat or recruit the enemy Behemoths and Luso will join up. (Luso is

the lead character from the Nintendo DS game Final Fantasy Tactics A2, not

coming to North America until later this year ... he's just moonlighting here

:) .) He's basically a clone of Ramza, but he has an intrinsic Poach ability

(no ability needs to be equipped for it). This makes him very handy for

treasure hunting, especially during the monster-laden random battles. (Story

battles, of course, contain mostly humans and Poach doesn't work on them.)



On the other hand, you may want to de-equip Luso's Icebrand sword and give it

to Agrias -- it will make her Holy Sword techniques extremely powerful!



If you poached any of the behemoths, you may want to go back to the Poachers'

Den in Dorter to see what you got, since a lot of these items can be quite

useful. If you recruited any of the behemoths, you're even better off; you can

keep one behemoth on your team, have it breed other behemoths, and poach

*those*.



After helping out Luso, continue on up to Lesalia, where there is more new

stuff (bows, daggers, and swords). Then continue to the Grogh Heights. Equip

some accessories to boost your Jump and smash your way through here (I actually

felt kind of bad killing those guys off) and you'll meet up with Orran again.

You'll receive a Mythril Gun in spoils from the battle, so if you didn't

bother to go to Goug to buy any Mythril Guns, equip this one now.



Your next stop is the Walled City of Yardrow. Here you'll encounter Marach

(the guy you met in Dorter) and Rapha. You have to save Rapha from Marach and

the Riovanes soldiers. Deploy lots of healers and magick-users; skip the

archers. After the fight, Rapha discusses her past. (Why the Grand Duke wants

Rapha and Marach's powers so badly is one of FF Tactics's great unsolved

mysteries ;) .) Marach, meanwhile, delivers a amphibian ultimatum.



Rapha joins up as a guest for the next couple battles. She probably won't be

all that helpful, though, since her Sky Mantra abilities only strike random

tiles in their effect radius and can't be targeted too precisely.



Before you leave Yardrow, stop at the Outfitter and pick up some better

equipment for Rapha. But do NOT equip her with any "rare," non-buyable items

like the Barette or Healing Staff; if you do, you'll lose them when Rapha goes

from being a Guest into a regular character.



There's also good gear for your magick users: the Gold Hairpins, which raise

both your HP and MP a lot, and the Black Robe, which strengthens the power of

any of your fire-, ice-, or lighting-elemental spells. (You may want to keep

healers on the White Robe, since it's got elemental defenses and they don't

need the offensive capability.) There are also some new accessories; pick up a

pair of the speed-boosting Hermes Shoes for later use. The Bracer is also

available. It's really expensive (50,000 gil), but it gives you a huge +3

attack boost, so buy one or two if you can afford them.



When you leave town, there will be another Delita battle. It's a piece of

cake.



Back with Ramza's squad, if you want to do further shopping, you can go back

down to Lesalia to buy new helmets, the Platinum Sword, and the Assassin's

Dagger. If you have Ninjas, Samurais, or Dancers in the party, you may even

want to trek all the way back to Dorter, as you will find new weapons for those

three jobs there.



When you've completed your shopping spree, fight through the Yuguewood and its

undead inhabitants. Deploy Mustadio and his Seal Evil ability will make quick

work of them.



Don't go on to Riovanes Castle just yet. It contains some very powerful

bosses, so you need to make sure you're prepared. For Ramza, you'll want the

Focus and Tailwind Squire abilities, as well as Auto-Potion from Chemist. Buy

a healthy stock (30+) of X-Potions. You'll also want at least one pair of

Hermes Shoes and a Green Beret. (If you sold all your Green Berets, you can

buy another one at Yardrow.) Also helpful are Jujitsu Gis and Chameleon Robes

(both of which protect against instant KO) and Jade Armlets (protection against

Stop), particularly if you want to try to learn Ultima at Riovanes as opposed

to later. Since the Jade Armlets are pretty expensive, you may not want to

bother buying them unless you're set on going for Ultima. (If you don't get

Ultima now, you can also get it in Chapter IV.) Finally, if any characters are

close to reaching the Dragoon or Ninja jobs, you may want to bring them up to

those jobs, as they are quite helpful. Zeklaus Desert is a good place to level

up if you need to earn more JP.



When you think you're ready, save your game, then pay a visit to Riovanes

Castle. You'll see a scene with Barrington and the Templars, then have a

chance to save. Be SURE to save in a separate slot from your main game, so

that you can get out of the castle if you need to go back and level more/buy

stuff. If you save in your main slot, you may wind up STUCK and have to start

again from scratch!



You then go to the first of a series of three battles. Strip Rafa of all her

equipment; if she gets taken out quickly in the upcoming battle, Marach will

also disappear. Equip the Archer's Bane ability on any characters that have

it. If you have someone with the Golem summon or the Dragoon ability Ignore

Elevation, you'll definitely want to deploy those characters. Finally,

equipping shields or capes for evasion may also be helpful. After you defeat

everyone outside the gate, a wounded Knight will crawl out, warning of the

Lucavi's rampage.



Now, make sure you're prepared. You're about face a two-part battle against a

Zodiac-charged Wiegraf, and he is rather powerful. However, if you're reading

this walkthrough and coming prepared ;), he isn't that hard to beat. Before

the battle starts, set Ramza with the Mettle action ability and Auto-Potion

reaction ability. Next, you need to drop all your Potions and Hi-Potions. On

the roster screen, click on any character and go to Equipment. Choose View

List, find your Potions and Hi-Potions and select Discard. Throw away ALL of

them, so that you can only use X-Potions when Auto-Potion activates. As for

your othercharacters, make them into Dragoons or give them range weapons. Keep

Agrias as a Holy Knight if she has the Hallowed Bolt ability. (If your Ramza

is quite strong, you may not need such preparation--just give him Dual Wield or

Jump.) When you think you're set, close the party roster screen and you'll be

thrust into the battle against Wiegraf. (If you find yourself stuck in the

castle without these recommended abilities, I've listed some other alternate

tactics in the battle strategies below.)



If you win both rounds of the battle, you'll go on to the last of this sequence

of battles, on the roof. Be sure to save again. For this battle, make Ramza

into a job with a high Speed stat (Ninja if available, otherwise Geomancer,

Thief, or Monk), and equip him with a Green Beret and Hermes Shoes to boost his

Speed as high as possible. Equipping the rest of the team with accessories

boosting Speed or Move is helpful as well.



You can also try to learn the Ultima spell during the rooftop battle. To do

so, you'll need to deploy Luso (in his Game Hunter job), and equip the whole

team with Jade Armlets and either Chameleon Robes or Jujitsu Gis. (Keep Ramza

with the Hermes Shoes, though.) Or, if you took Alma's Barette, you can also

equip that to protect a female character against both Stop AND KO. It's pretty

challenging to learn Ultima here. There are other opportunities to learn the

spell in Chapter IV where you don't have to contend with a suicidal Rapha and

will have a much easier time. So, unless you really like a challenge, I would

recommend waiting until Chapter IV.



Anyway, after you (eventually) ward off Elmdore and his assassins, Rapha will

use the Zodiac Stone to restore her family to a happy ending. You'll get your

Zodiac Stones back, along with Wiegraf's Aries stone and Isilud's Pisces

stone.



Finally, Rapha and Marach will offer to join. You'll probably want to take

Rapha, as her low Bravery makes her ideal for using Treasure Hunter. Marach

basically sucks, but if you don't have a full roster already, there's no harm

in signing him up. He's pretty similar to Rapha in that his abilities strike

random tiles. What's interesting is that they do more damage to enemies with

LOW Faith and get stronger when Marach has LOW Faith, the reverse of most

magick abilities. If you have an Orator lower Marach's Faith, you can Marach

to attack the enemies with magick while being resistant to magick himself, but

the randomness of his abilities still makes him not too useful.



%%%CHAPTER IV: IN THE NAME OF LOVE%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00walk4



Chapter IV picks up right where Chapter III left off. After a brief scene

in Zeltennia Castle with Orlandeau and Orran, you'll be plopped back on the

world map -- haven't seen that for a while, huh? -- outside Riovanes.



Ramza's appearance has changed again, giving him the ability to equip knight's

swords, powerful weapons that you'll start acquiring soon. He has also has a

new ability available (Shout), so be sure to learn that. You'll note that

Squire does not appear as a Mastered job even if you learn all the abilities --

that's because Ramza is missing the Ultima spell. If you managed to have Luso

learn it back on the roof, you can now have him cast it on Ramza in any battle

to teach it to Ramza. Otherwise, you'll have a chance to learn Ultima for both

characters later on.



Be sure to change back to your normal jobs if you're still altered from the

fights in Riovanes Castle. While you're still at Riovanes, you can do a bit of

equipment upgrading. There are new swords, shields, and armor available. If

you visit Dorter, you can also buy new a ninja blade, katana, clothes (Gaia

Gear), the Yagyu Darkroods shuriken, and the Angel Ring accessory. Pick up

weapons you might need for you current jobs (and if you're using Throw, stock

up on Darkroods). There are also a number of errands you can take in the

various towns, but many of them aren't worth the time they take (and you

sometimes LOSE money on them), so it's probably not worth the bother.



Now that you're in Chapter IV, you can start accessing the game's side quests.

First, assuming you still have Mustadio, you can head down to Goug to start the

Gollund Colliery quest, which will net you two great new characters (Beowulf

and Construct 8) as well as one OK one (Reis the Holy Dragon). This quest is

covered in the Gollund Colliery section below -- press Ctrl+F and enter 00col

to jump there.



Second, you can also access the event to earn the Tynar Rouge accessory ...

that is, IF you still have Mustadio, Agrias, Alicia, and Lavian on your team.

It occurs on 1 Cancer, which follows the month of Gemini, which follows Taurus.

So, if you're in Gemini or Taurus, keep your head up about that. See the

Agrias's Birthday section below for the full scoop on how to complete that

mission.



If you don't complete these sidequests now, don't worry--they have no

expiration date and you can always complete them later.



You'll notice that a couple new routes have opened up from Riovanes: a shortcut

back towards Eagrose Castle, and another down towards Dorter leading through

the new Mount Bervenia location. You'll need to visit Mount Bervenia later if

you're doing the Cloud Subquest, but there's not much to see there now.



Instead, you'll want to head towards Zeltennia, where Ramza hopes to meet up

with Delita to discuss the Church's plot. Go up to the pass near Lesalia.

This is a routine battle against the Order of the Southern Sky. Whip through

here and continue on towards the Free City of Bervenia.



Before you enter the town, equip the Safeguard ability on everybody who has it.

Archer's Bane, Jump, and Ignore Elevation or Teleport are also helpful. In

Bervenia, you'll encounter -- and fight -- Isilud's sister Meliadoul,

accompanied by some Summoners and Archers. She has some very useful pieces of

equipment (the Defender knight's sword and the Chantage perfume), so you may

want to deploy someone with Steal and try to snag them, especially the

Chantage. (See the battle strategies for more tips on stealing.) If you don't

get them here, there *are* other ways to get them, but it's certainly worth

taking a shot at acquiring them here.



When you win the battle against Meliadoul, she'll teleport away and you'll be

able to visit the shops in town. The Outfitter doesn't have anything new, but

if you were able to steal Meliadoul's Defender and/or Chantage, equip them.

The Defender is the first knight's sword you will have come across, which can

only be used a select few jobs (Knight, Dark Knight, plus Ramza's Squire job

and Agrias's Holy Knight job are the only ones who can use it now.)



Also, now that you've completed the battle at Bervenia, you can begin the

subquest to recruit Balthier. It requires trekking back down to Gariland, so

you can either do it now or just wait until you pass through that way a few

battles later. For the full scoop on the Balthier quest, see the Recruiting

Balthier section -- press Ctrl+F and enter 00balt to jump down there.



When you first leave Bervenia, there will be another intermission with Delita

and Ovelia. Move on to Finnath Creek for another battle. You may want to

bring an Orator or someone else with Speechcraft and Beast Tongue as you may

able to recruit a Pig here. Instant-KO attacks (e.g. the Black Mage's Death)

or petrification attacks (the Mystic's Induration or Beowulf's Break) will also

be helpful here.



After crossing the creek, you can finally get to Zeltennia Castle. Ramza will

go to the church, where he'll meet Delita again. In an FMV scene, Delita

explains more of the church's plan. Zalmour then shows up, and it's fight time

(did you really think you could go somewhere without one?). With Delita's

help, it's quite easy. After the battle, you'll meet with Valmafra, then

Delita will leave (bummer).



Strangely, the shops *still* don't have anything new. But restock your items;

you'll need lots of X-Potions. You may also want to grab a couple Aegis

Shields for any shield-using characters, if you don't already have some in your

inventory. Then go to the Beddha Sandwaste, south of Bervenia. Here you'll

encounter another Knight Templar, Barich, in a tough battle. To prepare

yourself, you may want to equip White Robes and Aegis Shields to protect

against enemy magic; deploying someone with the Esuna White Magick spell may

also be helpful. This is one the last difficult encounters of the game, as

pretty soon you... well, you'll see.



After beating Barich (it may well take you a few tries), go to Fort Besselat.

You'll have a choice as to whether to attack the south or north wall. Each is

a different battle. I find that the south wall is easier, especially if you

don't have characters with a good Jump rating. Still, a good Jump stat is

useful for either battle, as is Archer's Bane.



Whichever way you go, you'll end up at the floodgate. Save your game in a

different slot, then continue. There's a second battle at the sluice. After

Ramza blows up the sluice, he, Orran, and Valmafra will rescue Orlandeau.

Orran goes back to Zeltennia to guard Ovelia, but Orlandeau THEN JOINS YOU!

YAHOO!! If you just heard a giant sucking sound, it was all the challenge

going down to Mexico (er, unless you live in Mexico, then it all went to

Zimbabwe). Orlandeau is ridiculously powerful, and once you have him, hardly

anyone in the game has a chance against you. He has all of Agrias's,

Gaffgarion's, and Meliadoul's sword techniques, plus a full set of Crystal

equipment and the Excalibur, the latter of which gives him a permanent Haste.

He can also use every type of sword (katana, knight's sword, etc.). To put it

simply, he is hell on wheels.



Meanwhile, Delita advances his power. A cutscene pops up instructing you to go

to Limberry. A handy new path now opens up between Fort Besselat and Zeirchele

Falls. If you didn't already recruit Balthier, now is a great time to hike

over to Gariland and begin that quest. (Again, see the Recruiting Balthier

section below for the full scoop.)



Your next stop is the Trade City of Sal Ghidos. On the way, stop in at

Zeltennia. Finally, there's new equipment for sale! Aside from one hat that

becomes available after Limberry, the gear here and at Sal Ghidos is the last

round of equipment upgrades you can find in stores. There's better equipment

out there, of course, but you have to steal or find it; you can't buy it.

There's no point in holding back on upgrading, but save 50,000 - 75,000 gil or

so for some accessories you'll need for the next arc.



At Zeltennia, you'll find a new knife, sword, crossbow, polearm, shield, helm,

armor, and the Featherweave Cloak accessory. Note that there are two new sets

of armor available: the Crystal Mirror, which is a "regular" set of armor, and

the Mirror Mail, which gives the character a permanent Reflect (basically the

same as a Reflect Ring, but it doesn't take up your accessory slot :) ). This

reflects enemy spells, but it also reflects your own cure spells or buffs. If

you only use items to heal, though, the Reflect effect can be useful.



At your next stop, the Trade City of Sal Ghidos, you'll run into what is

probably a familiar face ... it's Aerith! Choose the SECOND option to buy a

flower from her; you'll need to do so if you want to complete all the

subquests. Be careful not to speed through the text and choose the first

option by mistake!



Once you have the flower, you can complete the Nelveska Temple quest (again,

covered below in the subquests section), though this also requires you to have

finished the Gollund Colliery quest first. The Nelveska Temple nets you one

character upgrade, as well as the chance to acquire some rare items via the

Treasure Hunter ability. Completing the Nelveska Temple in turn opens the

Recruiting Cloud quest, which lets you recruit Cloud from Final Fantasy VII

into your party. If you accidentally do NOT buy the flower, however, you'll

miss out on your chance on complete these quests.



After meeting with Aerith at Sal Ghidos, head into town (yup, there's no

fight). There's yet more new equipment! Will the wonders never cease? Be

sure to stop in for an upgrade. You can get new knives, katanas, polearms,

poles, clothes, and hats. There's also the new Luminous Robe, although it

doesn't have any special bonuses, so if you're using Black Magick, you may

prefer to keep the Black Robe for its offensive bonuses.



Before you leave, you'll want to have a good selection of equipment to protect

yourself against the status conditions you'll face at Limberry. Jujitsu Gis

and Jade Armlets are especially helpful, as they protect against the KO and

Stop conditions that Celia and Lettie throw at you, and Protect Rings will

defend against Sleep and Doom. You may also want to pick up a Nu Khai Armband

or two for male characters; these protect against Charm.



There are also a couple of new errands. Since Zeltennia and Sal Ghidos are

right next to each other, you can easily clear the errands in either town (as

well as in Bervenia) just by walking back and forth between them. They may

help you out if you need to earn a little cash to buy stuff, though, in many

cases, they're just as likely to lose you money as to earn you it. If you

still need more money, you could complete the next two story battles (en route

to Limberry), then come back to Sal Ghidos to shop with the bonus gil you

received.



Pop on down to Mount Germinas, where you'll have a run-in with some bandits.

With Orlandeau in your party, this battle is a breeze. There is one unique

item here, which you can obtain either during the story battle or a random

battle. It's the Invisibility Cloak, a cloak that (as you might expect)

automatically makes you invisible. To get the cloak, first save the game;

then equip someone with Treasure Hunter ability and move him/her to the top of

the mountain. You'll receive either an Ether or the cloak; the LOWER your

Bravery, the HIGHER your chances of getting the cloak. (Rapha is good for this

because she has a pretty low Bravery.) If you get the Ether, you lose your

shot at getting the cloak, so you'll have to reset and try again. There's no

time limit on attempting to get the cloak (as long as you don't search and get

an Ether), so if you don't have a good Move/Jump range or if your Bravery is

too low, you can skip it for now and come back later.



After Mount Germinas, you'll go to Lake Poescas. This is another undead

scenario, but it's really easy. As always, Mustadio and (if you have him)

Balthier are good for petrifying the undead. You then see a scene with

Dycedarg, after which you can go to Limberry Castle.



There's a sequence of four battles at Limberry Castle; as usual, you'll want to

save in a different slot between them, so that you don't lock yourself in. The

first battle is at the gate (isn't it always?). You'll be fighting Celia and

Lettie again, so equipping your anti-Stop/KO/Charm gear is essential. The

battle is pretty easy, but it's your best chance to learn Ultima. To do so,

just make Ramza into a Squire before the battle and he'll learn the spell when

Celia or Lettie casts it on him. (Luso can also learn the spell, but it's

probably easiest to just have Ramza learn it here and then later teach it to

Luso by having Ramza cast it on him.)



After winning the gate battle, you'll see a story scene with Elmdore and

Folmarv. Keep your status protection gear equipped for the next battle. If

Ramza already learned Ultima, you can switch him back to his regular job now;

otherwise, you'll have additional chances in the next two battles.



The second battle is against Elmdore, Celia, and Lettie in the keep. If you're

looking for revenge from the Riovanes Castle Roof, now's your chance -- but

look out, Elmdore is still pretty darn tough, and nearly impossible to hit.

Check the battle strategies if you need help beating him.



After defeating Elmdore in the keep, you can return your equipment to normal as

you won't have to fight Celia and Lettie any more. Next up is the courtyard,

you'll have to square off against an old "friend." Deploying someone who can

inflict Disable status (e.g. Mustadio, Balthier, Beowulf, or a Mystic) is

particularly important for this battle.



Finally, you'll proceed down to the basement for the last battle in this

sequence and your last encounter with Elmdore -- now in Lucavi form. Equipping

Protect Rings beforehand will help guard against some of the status attacks he

uses on you. Meliadoul will also help you out here.



After you defeat Elmdore for the last time, you'll collect two more Zodiac

Stones--Elmdore's Gemini stone and Meliadoul's Sagittarius stone--and Meliadoul

will offer to join you. Although she's not quite as powerful as Orlandeau

(Orlandeau has all her sword techniques, plus more!), her sword techniques are

still pretty good ... and, unlike in the PSone version, they work on monsters!

She also has a pretty high Faith, so she can be good with magick too if you

change her to a magick-using job. She comes equipped with the Save the Queen

knight's sword; if you don't plan on using her, give this sword to someone else

as it's probably stronger than anything else you have save the Excalibur.



Limberry Castle is now a normal town, so you can go to the Tavern and Outfitter

(although there's nothing new at the shop). When you try to leave, you'll see

a long set of story scenes with Ovelia and then with Zalbaag. Now take a look

at map. You'll note Eagrose Castle has turned red. It's time to hike all the

way back there.



A new wilderness location has opened up west of Limberry: Dorvauldar Marsh.

Although nothing story-related happens here and you never *have* to visit, it

provides a handy shortcut between Limberry and Fort Besselat. Now that you've

defeated Elmdore, many towns around the map also have new errands to complete.



As you make your way back to Eagrose, stop in at a non-castle town. You can

now buy Thief's Caps, the last piece of new equipment that the shops will

carry. If you don't have any Nu Khai Armbands, you'll also want to acquire

a set of those for an upcoming battle.



If you step into Dorter on the way back to Eagrose, you'll have an extra battle

against Cletienne, another of Folmarv's henchmen. Meliadoul automatically

participates as a guest in this battle, so be sure to equip her accordingly.

Alternately, you can avoid this battle entirely if you go to Bervenia and head

west along the northern coast ... but this is such a long and circuitous route

that you're likely to have more random battles than you save by avoiding

Cletienne. (Note that the Cletienne battle will also not trigger if you never

admitted into Meliadoul into your party or if she has already been killed or

fired.)



When you finally do reach Eagrose, Ramza will open the gate (no gate battle,

yay!), and then you'll line up for a fight. For an easy victory, equip Nu

Khai Armbands and deploy Agrias, Orlandeau, and Meliadoul. You'll fight a two-

stage battle against another Lucavi, Adrammelech. When killed, he will yield

the Capricorn Zodiac Stone. (You can also pick up an extra Blood Sword and

Healing Staff in this battle if you bring someone with Treasure Hunter and low

Bravery, but it's not too important to get and the Healing Staff is quite

difficult to reach.)



After defeating Adrammelech, head to Gariland. Stock up on Holy Water and take

the new route south to Mullonde. At Mullonde, you'll be treated to a series of

battles, beginning outside the church (not that hard), and progressing inside,

where you'll face off against Folmarv, Loffrey, and Cletienne. Equip Safeguard

here since Loffrey likes to break your equipment. The three Knights Templar

will teleport away after you beat on them for a while. If any of your

equipment got broken in this battle, you'll need to replace it; strip the gear

from somebody you're not going to be using in the next battle.



You'll then go to the sanctuary, where Ramza will have to fight a possessed

former ally. If you're still missing Ultima, this is your last chance to learn

it and save it to your save file. The sanctuary battle is the last of the

sequence of the battles at Mullonde; afterwards, Ramza will meet up with a

dying Funebris, who tells him that Folmarv is going to Orbonne Monastery.



Back on the map, a handy route has opened up between Mullonde and the Clockwork

City of Goug. Another set of subquests becomes available: Midlight's Deep in

Warjilis Trade City, Disorder in the Order (in Zeltennia and Dorter), and (if

you've already completed the Nelveska Temple quest) Lionel's New Liege Lord.

And if you're still working on the earlier subquests, the new route between

Mullonde and Goug makes them a lot easier. If you're going to do these quests

or anything else on the map, take care of it now! Once you go to Orbonne

Monastery, you're locked into the game's final series of battles.



Before you go to Orbonne, make sure you're ready. Your main team of characters

should be at least level 40. Equip yourself with all your best abilities, and

change to your best jobs. Earning JP doesn't matter now. In truth, the last

sequence of battles isn't all that difficult, just long. You may also want to

buy a couple pairs of Winged Boots since they'll be helpful in one of the

upcoming battles. Definitely purchase some Thief's Caps if you haven't

already.



!!!CAUTION!!!

Once you enter Orbonne, there is NO way to return to the world map. If you

want to be able to continue playing the game on the world map, you must keep a

save from before you entered the Monastery. Once you enter the Monastery,

save in a DIFFERENT slot.

!!!CAUTION!!!



The first battle at Orbonne is against some generic enemies -- an easy battle.

Afterwards, you'll move on to the fifth for the next battle. Beforehand,

ready your Safeguard abilities to protect yourself from Crush attacks.

Equipping Winged Boots or the Jump +x and Fly abilities will also help you

navigate the pit-laden terrain.



On the fifth level, you'll face the first of a series of four battles against

the Zodiac Braves. First up is Loffrey. After you defeat him, he'll suck you

through a portal to the Necrohol of Mullonde (of no apparent relation to

Mullonde Cathedral), then destroy the way back. Return your abilities and

equipment to normal.



Your next opponent is Cletienne. After that, you'll face Barich, brought back

to life by the Zodiac Stones. This can be a pretty tough fight; deploying

long-range attackers is a good idea and you'll probably want to equip Thief's

Caps to keep Barich from Immobilizing or Disabling you.



Finally, you'll head to the Airship Graveyard, which is really just a single

airship, and a rather odd location for a final battle. Folmarv will use the

Leo Stone to transform him into a giant lion, Hashmal. You may want to equip

your Jade Armlets again for this battle since he likes to cast Stop on you.

Defeat him and you'll get the Ragnarok sword. St. Ajora will then appear.



You now have one last chance to save your game and adjust your characters.

Equip the Ragnarok sword. It's strong but not quite as useful as the

Excalibur, since it doesn't give you an automatic Haste. But if you have two

characters who can use knight's swords (Knights, Dark Knights, and many of the

special jobs), you can give the Ragnarok to the second one



Another Alma will somehow appear. Ajora then summons four Ultima Demons in

response, then transforms into Ultima. Alma will join you as a guest for the

final battle, against the Generic Angel Boss (TM). After pounding on Ultima

for a while, Ultima will (of course) reveal his/her/its (?) true form, a

skeletony-type of angel. Thankfully, the Ultima Demons disappear for this

phase of the battle.



When you defeat Ultima's second form, it will blow up (nice special effects).

The Battle Is Won! Leave the game on after the credits for an additional

scene.



Note that when the game says it's saving afterwards, it's just doing so to

unlock some of the multiplayer missions. If you saved at any point during the

final sequence of battles (i.e., any time after you entered Orbonne Monastery),

loading this save will only put you back into the last set of battles and

doesn't allow you back to the world map. So, again, if you want to do anything

outside of the Necrohol, hang on to a separate save from before you entered

Orbonne Monastery!



If you haven't beaten Midlight's Deep and all the other subquests, you're not

done yet! Keep on reading for information on those quests.



*******************************************************************************

IV. WALKTHROUGH - SUBQUESTS 00sub

*******************************************************************************



Final Fantasy Tactics boasts a number of optional subquests, all of which

become available at various points in Chapter IV. In addition, some of the

subquests require you to have completed other subquests first. Specific

requirements for each quest are listed with the walkthroughs below, but I've

also provided this cheesy ASCII chart to demonstrate how they flow together.



Agrias's Birthday --------> Recruiting Cloud

(beginning of Chapter IV) /

/

Gollund Colliery ----------> Nelveska Temple

(beginning of Chapter IV) (after Fort

Besselat)

------> Lionel's New Liege Lord

Recruiting Balthier (after Mullonde)

(after Free City of Bervenia battle)



Disorder in the Order

(after Mullonde)



Midlight's Deep

(after Mullonde)



Walkthroughs for the quests are below. Battle strategies for the battles

encountered within these quests can be found in the Subquest Battle Strategies

section -- press Ctrl+F and enter 00bssub to jump there.



%%%AGRIAS'S BIRTHDAY%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00agr



QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: At beginning of Chapter IV

REWARDS: Tynar Rouge



A pair of Agrias-related subquests become available in Chapter IV. The first

one allows you to obtain the Tynar Rouge, a good accessory for female

characters (if not *quite* as abusive as the Chantage). To trigger the scene

in which you acquire the Tynar Rouge, you must move onto a TOWN or CITY (NOT a

castle) on the world map on the date of 1 Cancer, which is Agrias's birthday.

In addition, you must also meet these other requirements:



- Agrias, Mustadio, Alicia, and Lavian must still be alive and on your roster.



- You must have at least 500,000 gil in your War Funds. Only 50,000 of this

will be spent as part of the quest, but you must have 500,000 available.



- You must be in Chapter IV. (This event can be completed at any point during

Chapter IV, though.)



Assuming you meet the above requirements, if you move onto a town (again, a

castle will NOT work), on 1 Cancer, you'll see a scene in which Mustadio buys

Agrias the Tynar Rouge lip rouge for her birthday. The 50,000 gil cost of the

rouge will be subtracted from your War Funds. It's worth the expense, though,

as the Tynar Rouge is a great accessory. It can be equipped by any female

character (not just Agrias) and grants a permanent Shell, Protect, and Haste,

as well as a bonus to your attack and magick strength.



1 Cancer follows after 32 Gemini. The easiest way to ensure that you land on a

city or town on that date is to simply move back and forth between Gollund Coal

City and Lesalia. Both of these count as towns, so you're guaranteed to land

on a town on 1 Cancer. If you somehow miss the date and don't end up on a town

on 1 Cancer, don't worry; the event never "expires." You can just wait until

all the months cycle through and try again the next time 1 Cancer comes up, as

long as you still meet the requirements listed above. (Fortunately, the

villains are more than happy to postpone their plans of world domination while

you spend a year shopping for makeup.)



%%%GOLLUND COLLIERY%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00col



QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: At beginning of Chapter IV

REWARDS: Beowulf, Reis [Holy Dragon], and Construct 8 join the party



In the Gollund Colliery quest, you'll recruit three new characters: Beowulf,

Reis (in dragon form), and Construct 8. It's the first in a series of three

quests, also leading into the Nelveska Temple and Cloud quests. To complete

ANY of these quests, you must have Mustadio still around, so don't dismiss him

or let him get killed!



To start the quest, once Chapter IV begins, go to the Clockwork City of Goug.

Besrudio, Mustadio's father, will show you an iron sphere he's found. (If

you've already seen this scene, you don't need to repeat it.)



Now go to the Mining Town of Gollund, in the center of the map. At the Tavern

in Gollund, listen to the rumor "The Haunted Mine." You will be asked to fight

a monster in the coal mines. Leave the bar. Nothing will happen at first, but

go north to Lesalia. Ramza will automatically go into the Tavern and learn

more about the coal mine job. He agrees to take it. On the way out, Beowulf

will stop you and ask you to take him with you. Choose the second option to

sign him up and he joins you as a Guest. (If you choose the first option and

reject his assistance, the quest will end and you'll be permanently locked out

of it!)



You'll note that the Mining Town of Gollund has turned red. First, equip

Mystic Arts as Beowulf's second ability, since he already has a bunch of Mystic

Arts spells learned. Go back into Lesalia and check at the Outfitter's;

depending on how far you are through Chapter IV, you may be able to buy Beowulf

some better equipment. Equipment that protects you against ice will be

especially helpful in the upcoming battles, so you may want to pick up some

Ice Shields or White Robes if you don't have any in your inventory. (You'll

have to go to a non-castle town to buy the robes.) Ideally, try to buy both

some Icebrands and other swords. The ice damage from the Icebrands will be

effective in some battles here, but there are also some monsters that absorb

ice.



Save your game--there's an extended series of battles coming up--and return to

Gollund, where you'll be forced into entering the Gollund Colliery. You have

to fight through three areas in the snow. Equipping your anti-ice gear will

protect you well against the ice attacks you'll face. Since the snowy weather

boosts the power of ice attacks, you'll also want to equip any Icebrands and

Glacial Guns you own for the first two battles. For the third battle, however,

switch them to other weapons; you'll face Blue Dragons that absorb ice!



After the three battles, you'll reach the Coal Shaft. The monsters here are

WEAK against ice, so strip off your anti-ice gear and re-equip any Icebrands

you have. In the Coal Shaft, the Holy Dragon Reis is being attacked by an

Archaeodaemon. You have to save her.



After this battle, you'll get the Aquarius Zodiac Stone, and Reis and Beowulf

will offer to join you. Sign them both up as you need them for later quests.

(Be sure to keep them alive, too!) Reis, particularly while she's still stuck

in dragon form, is not that great, but Beowulf IS. In particular, shoot for

learning his Vengeance and Chicken abilities. Chicken does a HUGE drop on

enemy Bravery and frequently turnes them into a helpless chicken, while

Vengeance is a potent attack with a long range.



Now that you've got the Aquarius Stone, return to Goug. You will put in the

Aquarius stone in the iron sphere, which transforms into Construct 8. A

comical scene will follow, and then another new character, Construct 8, joins

you. Construct 8 is more like a monster in that it can't change jobs, but it's

super-strong anyway. It has a long-range laser attack, an inherent Counter,

and is basically impervious to magick and most (though not all) status

conditions. Sign it up for sure!



On the way out of Goug, if you've progressed sufficiently far in the game,

you'll get another scene in which Besrudio puts together another device that

requires the Cancer Zodiac Stone. If you've finished up Fort Besselat, you can

now begin the Nelveska Temple quest, below.



%%%RECRUITING BALTHIER%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00balt



QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: After completing battle at the Free City of Bervenia

REWARDS: Balthier joins the party, Ras Algethi gun, Mirage Vest



Balthier from Final Fantasy XII makes an appearance as an optional cameo

character you can sign up for your team.



Any time after completing the battle at the Free City of Bervenia in Chapter

IV, visit the Magick City of Gariland and enter the Tavern. Read the "Rash of

Thefts" rumor. Now, go east to Dorter and visit the Taven there. Read the new

rumor here ("A Call for Guards") that will have appeared if you read the rumor

at Gariland.



It seems like nothing has happened, but return to the map and try to leave

Dorter. You'll get into kicked into a battle (though not without a lengthy

FMV intro to Balthier first). Balthier will help you out here as a guest.

You can check the Other Subquests section of the battle strategies if you need

help, but it should be really be pretty easy.



Afterwards, you can sign Balthier up for your team. He's basically a

combination of Mustadio (he has all of Mustadio's Aimed Shot abilities) and a

Thief, with one unique ability of his own: Barrage. Barrage allows him to

attack four times in a row for 1/2 damage each time, essentially allowing you

to do double damage. His "Plunder" abilities are also a little better than

regular Stealing; when it comes to stealing equipment, a Plunder is 10

percentage points more likely to succeed than a Steal. (So, if a Steal would

have, say, a 36% success rate, Plunder will have a 46% success rate, for

instance.)



Balthier also comes equipped with a Ras Algethi gun and Mirage Vest, two items

you can't find anywhere else! Both are quite strong, so if you don't plan on

using Balthier, you should at least give his gear to someone else.



%%%NELVESKA TEMPLE%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00nel



QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: After clearing Fort Besselat and

completing Gollund Colliery quest

REWARDS: Reis returns to human form, various items found with Treasure Hunter



In order to begin the Nelveska Temple quest, you must first have finished the

battles at Fort Besselat in the main storyline, as well as having completed the

Gollund Colliery quest above. (Beowulf and Reis the Holy Dragon must also

still be on your team.)



When you first reach the Trade City of Sal Ghidos during the main storyline,

you'll be asked to buy a flower for 1 gil from Aerith. Make sure you choose

the SECOND option to buy the flower. You'll need to buy this flower in order

to continue with the quest. If you fail to buy the flower when asked, it seems

that you do NOT have a second chance to get it, which means that you

unfortunately can't continue with this quest :(



Once you've got the flower, go down to Goug and you'll see a scene where

Besrudio presents another device unearthed from the tunnels; this one requires

the Cancer Zodiac Stone. (If you've already seen this scene, you don't need

to go back to Goug.)



Now go back up to Zeltennia Castle. Go to the tavern and listen to the "Cursed

Isle of Nelveska" rumor. This will open up a new path on your map from

Zeltennia to Nelveska Temple.



Although you can open up the route to Nelveska as soon as you reach Zeltennia,

in order to actually trigger the battle there, you must have seen the scene

at Goug where Besrudio presents his weathervane-like device.



The battle at Nelveska Temple contains a number of rare items that can be

found using Treasure Hunter. These items include a super-powered Javelin and

Escutcheon as well as the Sasuke's Blade ninja blade and the goofy Nagnarok

sword. The Javelin II and Escutcheon II are especially worth picking up (and

the Escutcheon II isn't available anywhere else!). You only have this one

chance to get them, as there are no random battles at Nelveska Temple. Of

course, you certainly don't NEED any of these items and they can be tricky to

get, so it's up to you as to whether you want to try for them.



If you do want to get the items, you'll need to have a LOW Bravery -- the

higher your Treasure Hunter's Bravery, the higher the odds of getting a crummy

item instead. Rapha is great for this purpose since her Bravery already starts

pretty low. For the best odds, though, you'll want to lower it even further.

The best way to do this is probably with the Orator ability Intimidate; for

every use of this ability, she'll lose 20 points of Bravery during the battle

but 5 points permanently. Be careful not to reduce her permanent Bravery TOO

low, though, or she will quit the party (so using Beowulf's Chicken may not be

a good idea). 15 to 20 is probably a safe number.



Whether you're planning on looking for the items or not, you'll probably want

to buy some Gold Needle or Remedies before you leave town for the coming

battle, or equip Jade Armlets -- the Cockatrices at the temple can turn you to

stone.



Go to Nelveska and you'll be attacked by Construct 7. This is the one battle

here, so search for the hidden items if you want, or just take down Construct

7. (See the battle strategies for tips both on the fight and on successfully

retrieving the items.) When Construct 7 explodes, you'll get its power source:

the Cancer Zodiac Stone.



When you try to leave Nelveska Island, Beowulf will use the Cancer stone to

restore the dragon Reis to her normal human form. She will then re-join your

party, keeping all her dragon abilities and adding many new ones she can learn.

Even in human form, her Dragonkin job can use very little equipment (just hair

adornments, bags, and some accessories), but she has killer stats and an

inherent Dual Wield. (The Dual Wield can only be used only with weapon types

that can be Dual Wielded, of course, but that includes her fists.)



If you now return the Cancer Stone to Besrudio, he'll summon Cloud ... but you

won't be able to go any further to recruit him onto the team unless you've

already defeated Adrammelech in the main storylie. (See Recruiting Cloud,

below.) If you've gone even further and cleared Mullonde in the main

storyline, you can also embark on the Lionel's New Liege Lord quest.



%%%RECRUITING CLOUD%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00cloud



QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: Immediately after completing Nelveska Temple quest

REWARDS: Cloud joins the party



You can get Cloud any time after you complete Ford Besselat. In order to get

him, you must first complete the Gollund Colliery quest, followed by the

Nelveska Temple quest, both described above. You'll also still need Mustadio

around.



Having completed both of these quests, hike all the way back to Goug. (If

you've finished the battles at Mullonde, you'll have a handy shortcut.)

Besrudio will power up the weathervane with the Cancer Stone and it will ...

summon Cloud. Cloud, in typical Cloud fashion, will refuse to let you

introduce yourselves and run off in pursuit of Sephiroth.



Now you have to go all the way to the Trade City of Sal Ghidos. Remember when

you met Aerith here earlier? Well, she's back, and this time she's being

accosted by some thieves. Cloud comes to save her, but has another one of his

schizophrenic breakdowns. You have to save him from the thieves. This is

quite an easy battle, although you may want to equip Safeguard beforehand so

the Thieves can't steal any of your gear. Afterwards, Clod... er, Cloud will

join you.



You're still not totally finished with this quest. In order for Cloud to be

able to use his Limit attacks, you need to find his Materia Blade. The Blade

is found using the Treasure Hunter ability on Mount Bervenia. The easiest

method is to go to Riovanes Castle and just move back and forth between

Riovanes and Mount Bervenia until you get into a random battle.



Once you're in battle, move your Treasure Hunter to the very tippy-top of the

volcano to discover the Materia Blade. You'll need a Jump at least of 4 to

reach the volcano top -- equip Germinas Boots if you need a boost. Unlike the

other rare items found with Treasure Hunter, this one doesn't depend on your

Bravery. You'll always receive the Materia Blade on this tile, regardless of

your Bravery; there's no chance of getting the wrong thing. Once you've

secured the Materia Blade, finish off the rest of the enemies to end the

battle. (If you end the battle by mistake before getting the Blade, just start

up another battle; the Blade never disappears until you find it.)



If you're having a hard time getting your Treasure Hunter up to the top during

the battle, one strategy is to kill off all but one enemy, and then use

Beowulf's Chicken ability to turn the last enemy into a chicken. This leaves

you free to spend as much time as needed navigating the volcano.



Equipping Cloud with the Materia Blade allows him to use his Limit command,

although you still have to learn all the Limit abilities individually.

Honestly, Cloud isn't really all that great a character, in my estimation --

his Limits take a long time to charge (you'll probably want to give him the

Time Mage's Swiftness ability), and he starts back at level 1.



%%%DISORDER IN THE ORDER%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00dis



QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: After Mullonde battles

REWARDS: Lots of stealable equipment



The second of two Agrias-related quests, this quest becomes available late in

Chapter IV, after you win the battles at Mullonde Cathedral. You do NOT have

to have completed the other Agrias quest (Agrias's Birthday) to access it.



First, after clearing the Cathedral, make tracks for Zeltennia Castle, in the

upper right corner of the map. As long as Agrias is still with you, when you

reach Zeltennia, you'll see a scene in which Agrias meets with Ovelia and sets

up an important later plot point. (If Alicia and Lavian are still around,

they'll also participate in this scene, but they're not required.)



Nothing else happens here, but now head to the Magick City of Gariland or

Eagrose Castle and hit up the Tavern. If you saw the above, there will be a

new rumor, "Disorder in the Order." Listen to it.



Now, if you head back to the Brigands' Den south of Mandalia Plain, you'll

get into a battle against some deserts from the Order of the Northern Sky.

Agrias functions as a Guest in this battle. Be SURE to bring a character who

can steal, as there are a lot of great rare items you can get here. (Balthier

may be particularly useful, since his Plunder skills a little bit more likely

to succeed than regular Steals.) While none of the stealable items are

available ONLY in this battle, it's a chance to grab second copies of some

items you can't buy in stores. The extra Venetian Shield and Kaiser Shield you

can get here are particularly handy, and you can also get more magick guns, a

Sasuke's Blade, and Ninja Gear and a Barette. If you bring Orlandeau along,

you can also see a few extra lines of dialogue.



The actual battle should be fairly easy. Nothing special happens when you

clear it--it's mostly just an avenue for stealing a lot of great items :)



%%%LIONEL'S NEW LIEGE LORD%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00lio



QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: After Mullonde battles AND completing Gollund Colliery

quest

REWARDS: Genji Armor, Zeus Mace, Sortile'ge, stealable Masamune and Chantage,

Hydrascale Bag, other equipment



To begin the new Beowulf subquest, you must first complete the Nelveska Temple

quest. At this point, you will have recruited Beowulf and Reis and returned

Reis to human form. Beowulf and Reis must also still be alive and on your

roster. (It's not necessary to do to the quest to recruit Cloud or get his

Materia Blade.) You also have to completed the battle against Zalbaag at

Mullonde in the main storyline.



Finally, to activate the quest, you have to have read the "Lionel's New Liege

Lord" rumor that appears in Taverns after you've completed the battle at

Bervenia Free City during Chapter IV. This rumor can be read before or after

you recruit Beowulf and Reis.



The main purpose of this quest is to acquire the Masamune and Genji Armor, as

well as a few other goodies.



This quest, of course, takes place at Lionel Castle. As soon as you visit

Lionel Castle after meeting the requirements above, you're thrown into the

quest, so you'll want to prepare first. Make sure you have a character able to

steal, as this subquest gives you a chance to steal a Masamune and a Chantage.



When you reach Lionel Castle, you'll see a story scene and Reis will be

spirited away. You're given a chance to save and adjust your roster before

being booted into battle. (Since Reis is presently kidnapped, you won't be

able to select her as part of your team for this battle.) Note that Beowulf

functions as a guest in this subquest. If he's KOed in the first battle, you

lose, so be sure to equip with some decent armor and/or a shield and deploy a

healer. (In thesecond battle, it doesn't matter if he's KOed.) The bosses

here have Safeguard, which renders them immune to Meliadoul's Unyielding Blade

attacks, so you probably won't want to deploy her unless she has some good

other abilities.



You'll fight a sequence of two battles at Lionel. The first is against

Beowulf's old pal Aliste. When you win here, you'll get the Genji Armor, the

second strongest suit of armor in the game. You'll have another chance to

save and adjust your team -- so equip that Genji Armor -- before moving on to

the second battle, against Bremondt himself. Be sure to deploy your stealing

character here, as one of the enemy samurai has the Masamune and this is the

by far the best place to get it. (See the battle strategies for more info.)



When Bremondt goes down, you'll receive a Zeus Mace, a very nice staff, for

your efforts. (There's a second Zeus Mace in Midlight's Deep, but it doesn't

hurt to have two!)



Beowulf and Reis are reunited, and in gratitude for all your help, Beowulf

hands over all his treasure, including a Gold Hairpin, a Hydrascale Bag, a

pair of Hermes Shoes, a Diamond Bracelet, and the Sortile'ge perfume. You're

now prompted to add Beowulf and Reis back into your roster, and this subquest

is now complete!



%%%MIDLIGHT'S DEEP%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00md



QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: After Mullonde battles

REWARDS: Numerous rare items, Zodiark summon, the Byblos joins the party



Midlight's Deep is a dungeon with ten floors (each a separate battle), each

packed with really powerful equipment. It's completely optional, and in

fact is more difficult than the actual end of the game.



You can only access Midlight's Deep after you beat Mullonde Holy Place. Then

go to the Port City of Warjilis. When you arrive, you'll automatically see a

scene in the tavern in which Ramza overhears a rumor about the Deep. (Fans of

the original PSone version of FF Tactics may get a kick out of some of the

dialogue here.) When you leave town, a route will automatically pop up to the

tiny island to the east, which contains Midlight's Deep, a ten-floor bonus

dungeon.



To enter Midlight's Deep, move to the island. Then, click on Midlight's Deep a

second time. Choose the floor you want to enter. (At the beginning, only the

first floor will be accessible, but you'll open up more as you progress.)



---General Instructions--------------------------------------------------------



BATTLES IN THE DEEP

Midlight's Deep battles are basically considered random battles, which means

that the exact line-up of enemies changes each time. It also means that you

don't have to deploy Ramza. The exception is the initial encounter on the last

floor, which has a fixed set of enemies AND requires Ramza to be deployed.





NAVIGATING THE DARKNESS

To make things challenging, every floor of Midlight's Deep is completely dark.

You can see your team and the enemies, but you can't see the terrain. Crystals

left by dead enemies will light up much of the area, but there's another way to

see. Select an attack with a really long range, like a gun attack, Beowulf's

Vengeance, Construct 8's Dispose, or best of all, Teleport (which lights up the

*whole* map). When you're choosing a target, most of the panels on the

battlefield will be highlighted, giving you a chance to study the terrain. You

don't even have to USE the selected attack, just select it, look at the map,

and then cancel back to the menu. Since you can do this every round, you

shouldn't have too much trouble seeing what you're doing.





FINDING THE EXITS

But not only do you have to beat the enemies on each level, you ALSO have to

find the exit to open up the next level. If you kill all the enemies without

finding the exit, you'll just be kicked back to the map screen and have to

replay the level before you can advance. To find the exit, you simply have to

move a character onto the tile that contains the exit, at which point you'll

get a message telling you that you "found a passage leading deeper." Once you

finish off the remaining enemies and return to the map, you'll be able to

select the next floor. You do NOT need the Treasure Hunter ability to find

the exits.



To make things tricky, the exit is RANDOMLY placed on one of several possible

tiles -- so you don't know where it is! But, the exit is usually on the

enemy's side of the battlefield, and often in a corner. Not always, though.



Rmemeber, the battle ends when you KO the last enemy, and if you didn't find

the exit, you'll have to replay the level. So, you need to find the exit

BEFORE you KO that last enemy. The easiest way to do this is to KO all but one

enemy, then use Beowulf's Chicken spell on the last one to turn it into a

chicken. (If the enemy has 60 or more Bravery, you'll have to use Chicken

twice before it actually turns into a chicken.) Once the last enemy is a

harmless chicken, it's easy to walk around the level and look for the exit.

Chicken lasts for quite a while, but each turn the enemy gets 1 point of

Bravery back, and when it has 10 Bravery, the Chicken spell will wear off.

But, if you always recast Chicken when it's close to wearing off, you can keep

the enemy a chicken forever :). Of course, you don't HAVE to use the Chicken

trick to find the exit -- it just makes it a lot easier.



While you do need to find the exits to advance, there's no obligation to find

the exit on your first visit. If the battle gets rough, it's fine to just

finish off the enemies and forget about finding the exit. You can look for it

on your next visit.



Also, once you've found a floor's exit once, you never need to look for it

again. So, if you return to a previous floor to hunt for items or poach

monsters, you don't need to worry about looking for the exit.





ACQUIRING THE RARE ITEMS

But wait! There's more! Each level contains a number of rare items that you

can find using the Treasure Hunter ability. Simply move a character with

Treasure Hunter onto the correct tile and a new item is yours. If a character

without Treasure Hunter steps on the tile, you'll often spring a trap instead,

but the item remains there, waiting for a character with Treasure Hunter.

(Note that even once the item is picked up, any trap on the tile remains there,

and then even a Treasure Hunter can spring it.)



As with most rare Treasure Hunter finds, you need a LOW Bravery level to pick

up the special item. The higher your Bravery, the higher your chance you'll

get a crummy Phoenix Down instead. (The chance of getting the Phoenix Down is

simply equal to the character's current Bravery -- so a lower Bravery decreases

your chance of getting it.) If you DO pick up the Phoenix Down, the "good"

item is gone forever, even if you leave the map and come back later. So, if

you want to get all the items, you may want to save pretty frequently and only

try picking up one or two items at a time. That way, it's easy to reset and

try again if you don't get the item you want.



Rapha is great for finding the items because her Bravery already starts pretty

low. For the best odds, though, you'll want to lower it even further. The

best way to do this is probably with the Orator ability Intimidate; for every

use of this ability, she'll lose 20 points of Bravery during the battle but

5 points permanently. Be careful not to reduce her permanent Bravery TOO low,

though, or she will quit the party--so using Beowulf's Chicken may not be a

good idea. 15 to 20 is probably a safe number and will give you some margin of

error in case she gets with a Bravery-lowering ability during a battle.



To make Rapha (or whomever you're using as a Treasure Hunter) more mobile, give

her Germinas Boots to increase her move and jump range. If available, you can

also switch her to an agile job like Thief, Dragoon, or Monk.



If you're having trouble with Rapha getting KOed quickly, try equipping her

with the Invisibility Cloak found on Mount Germinas (see Various Tricks). This

cloak causes her to start the battle invisible. As long as she doesn't take

any action and just moves around the battlefield looking for items and exits,

she will stay invisible and will be virtually ignored by the enemies. (She's

still vulnerable to area-effect spells.) The Septie`me perfume, poachable from

the Greater Hydras found in the Deep, and the Ninja Gear found on the sixth

floor of the dungeon (The Palings) also have the same invisibility effect.

And since the Ninja Gear is body armor instead of an accessory, it allows you

to also equip Germinas Boots at the same time.



As a caution, note that enemy characters with Treasure Hunter can also pick up

the rare items, which will prevent you from getting them! At the start of each

battle, you may want to check all the enemy humans to see if they have Treasure

Hunter. If they do, either KO or Immobilize them quickly to prevent them from

beating you to the loot!





LOCATING THE RARE ITEMS

So WHERE are all these great items? Of course, on each floor, the items are in

different locations. Since the tiles are not given any names or numbers in the

game, I've had to assign my own numbers to them. Here's the scheme I've used:



When the battle starts, tilt the analog stick on the PSP left or right. When

you do this, the screen will change perspective and you'll be looking at the

battlefield from a different angle. Keep doing this until your characters are

facing down and to the left on the screen.



Now, move the cursor to the lower left corner. This tile is (X: 0, Y: 0). If

you move the cursor to the right (using the right arrow on the D-pad), you'll

be at (X: 1, Y: 0), then (X: 2, Y: 0), (X: 3, Y: 0), and so on. If you start

at (X: 0, Y: 0) and move upwards (up arrow on the D-pad), you'll be at (X: 0,

Y: 1). So a tile like (X: 4, Y: 3) would be four tiles to the right and three

tiles up from the lower-left corner (again, this is when your team is facing

DOWN and to the LEFT at the start of the battle). I've given the locations of

all the items using this coordinate system.



For exact item locations, see each level's battle strategy.





POACHING

There are also a number of rare monsters in Midlight's Deep, and poaching them

can get you some unique items you can't find anywhere else. (See the Poaching

List for the complete list.) Fortunately, since Warjilis Trade City is a trade

city, it has a Poachers' Den. So, after poaching some monsters, it's easy to

head back to Warjilis and check on your haul.



If you're serious about poaching (and have space on your roster), the best

tactic for getting these rare items is to recruit a monster from the species

using the Orator abilities Entice or Tame. (The Dragon's Charm ability

possessed by Reis can also be used to recruit dragons and hydras, and works

100% of the time.) Once you've recruited the monster, just walk back and forth

between Warjilis and the Deep. As the days pass, the monster will lay eggs and

the eggs will hatch into new monsters. (You can use the Preview Monster Eggs

trick from the Various Tricks section to see what monsters you're getting and

delete any that aren't the exact type you want.) Poach THESE hatched monsters,

but leave the original in your roster. That way, you have a limitless supply

of monsters to poach. This is a great way to poach rare monsters that you

don't appear in the wild very frequently.



In fact, breeding monsters is the ONLY way to get a Wild Boar, which in turn

is your only source for two super-rare items (the Ribbon and the Fallingstar

Bag).



---Floor-by-Floor Walkthrough--------------------------------------------------



Whew! I think that's all the instruction you need. Now head on in! The first

floor, The Crevasse, is just kind of practice; the monsters here are very weak.

You can find two of the magickal guns here, although you may already have a

Glacial Gun if you stole one earlier. The Blaze Gun is a little stronger than

the Glacial Gun, though, and both are worth picking up. These "magickal" guns

do elemental attacks. Their damage varies; sometimes you get a -ra or a -ga

spell visual effect and increased damage. The damage estimate you see when

preparing to attack is the "low" estimate if you just get the regular spell.

Note that the Kiyomori hidden on this level is just a regular Kiyomori katana

like you could buy in a store, making it the most useless pickup in the Deep.



After you find the exit in The Crevasse, you'll open up The Stair. It's

similar in layout to The Crevasse, but is a lot more challenging. Bringing

Archer's Bane is a good idea as there are a lot of enemy Archers. After that

comes The Hollow. Here, you'll want to deploy range attackers as the enemies

start a distance and can easily be picked off. The Hollow also contains two

good pieces of equipment: the Yoichi Bow and the Zeus Mace. Be sure to pick

them up! In general, collecting all the Elixirs is not necessary as there are

quite a few of them and you can do fine without getting them all (or even any).



The fourth floor, The Catacombs, is also quite challenging. It may take you a

few tries to collect everything here, especially if you get a tough group of

monsters. But, the equipment available here is also quite good: the Kaiser

Shield as well as the Rod of Faith. The Rod of Faith is particularly valuable

and available here only. It's a rod that maximizes its wielder's Faith while

equipped, increasing their magick power (but also the magick damage they

receive). You can also whack other characters with it to give *them* Faith

status as well. This is particularly useful for Marach, if you're using him.

The Faith status maximizes the damage from *both* his Nether Mantra abilities

(which normally do more damage when his Faith is low) and regular magicks

(which do more damage when Faith is high). Since the Rod maximizes your Faith

regardless of its normal value, you can also reduce a character's Faith to make

them strong against enemy magick and then only give them the Rod when you want

them using magick. (See the related item under Various Tricks for more on

strategies using the Rod.



The Catacombs also holds the Faerie Harp. If you don't use Bards, you can skip

it. It's worth noting, though, that the Faerie Harp is the only attack or

ability that can Charm all targets regardless of gender or human/monster status

-- plus it's the strongest harp, so it's a good pickup if you DO have a Bard

around.



Level 5 is The Oubliette. Here, you can get a second Excalibur sword, which is

definitely worth picking up (especially since it's right next to where you

start!). Although you should already have one since Orlandeau comes with one,

two never hurts ... the automatic Haste effect is incredibly useful! You can

give the second to another character who uses knight's swords, like Agrias,

Beowulf, Meliadoul, or Ramza -- or any character in the Knight job. You can

also find the Iga Blade ninja blade here.



Next stop is The Palings. You can pick up the lightning magickal gun, the

Blaster, here; it's the strongest gun available in single-player. The other

items -- Ninja Gear, the Cursed Ring, and an Elixir -- aren't that great but

they're all right at the starting pointing, so they're easy to grab.



Floor seven is The Crossing. The items here aren't all that great. There's

the Koga Blade ninja blade, and a Staff of the Magi. The Staff of the Magi

isn't very good; it has a higher *attack power* than the Zeus Mace, but no

benefit to your magick strength -- and how often do your magick-users hit

people with their staves? But, you want to bring Luso or somebody else with

the Poach skill, as there's a chance of running into the stronger minotaur

monster here. Either of the items you get from poaching it cannot be found

anywhere else.



By now, you're getting near the bottom, and the difficulty level is rising.

again. The next two floors will be quite tough, but they also contain some

very strong items. The Switchback holds the Ragnarok sword (not actually as

good as Excalibur as it doesn't cast Haste), Robe of Lords (a GREAT robe), and

the best bow, the Perseus Bow. The final normal floor is The Interstice. It

holds the game's best heavy armor -- the Maximillian and Grand Helm -- as well

as the Venetian Shield, second only to the Escutcheon (II) as a shield. You

want this stuff.



There's only one level left after this, appropriately named Terminus. There's

a boss encounter the first time you enter here, and it's your one chance to

learn the game's best Summon, Zodiark. If you want to learn it, deploy your

best Summoner (with Summoner as his/her current job) and arm him/her with the

Time Mage ability Mana Shield for protection.



When you enter Terminus, you'll meet some weird old guy named Elidibus, who

will turn himself into a Lucavi. You'll be accompanied in this battle by a

purple Byblos monster (its personal name varies). After defeating Elidibus

(and hopefully learning Zodiark from him), you'll get the 13th (!) Zodiac

Stone, Serpentarius. The Byblos will offer to join your party. This is your

one opportunity to get this character, so sign it up. He's only OK, though.



Congratulations! You've beaten Midlight's Deep! You may notice that the Deep

stays a red dot on the map screen even after you've finished off Elidibus.

Don't worry; you haven't missed anything. It just stays red forever.



But, there's still a few more things to do. Go back into Terminus after you

defeat Elidibus, and bring a Treasure Hunter. On the top level (where Elidibus

was), there are four items: two Elixirs, the Chirijiraden (the best samurai

sword), and the Chaos Blade. The Chaos Blade is one of the best weapons in the

game; it has a whopping 40 attack points, automatically Regens you, and

petrifies enemies!



If you're into poaching, you can find Pigs and Swines on Terminus, as well as

all the members of the hydra family. All of these monsters yield rare items

when poached. (And if you want REALLY rare items, recruit a Pig or Swine and

wait until you breed a Wild Boar, then poach that!) You can also use Reis's

Dragon's Charm to recruit a Tiamat. They're THE best monster in the game, and

they're almost as strong as (if not stronger than) Orlandeau!



For other rare weapons, equip all your characters with Sticky Fingers and go

to The Interstice. If you can run into some Ninjas here, they'll throw a

variety of nice weapons at you, which -- assuming you have Sticky Fingers --

you'll catch and claim for your own. If you're at a high enough level, you can

even get Chaos Blades! Masamunes, Chirijiradens, Javelin IIs, and most other

rare weapons can also be obtained here. (The exceptions are the weapons that

can't be thrown, like staves.)



What else is there left to do? If you leave Midlight's Deep and head back

around the overworld, some of the wilderness locations have "special" random

battles that you can occasionally run into, like the infamous all-Monk melee on

Grogh Heights. And at Mount Germinas, there's a rare battle against some gun-

wielding Chemists and Orators, where you can steal additional copies of the

magick guns, and sometimes the Stoneshooter. You can also continue poaching

monsters if you're looking to complete your collection of items -- see the

Rare Item Locations for where you can find everything. And, if you haven't

finished the other subquests, those are still out there to complete!



Finally, you can team up a friend who owns a copy of the game to complete the

game's multiplayer team missions, or battle against each other in the Melee

mode. (Note that you need to complete the main quest first in order to unlock

all the team missions.) I don't have these covered in the FAQ yet, but I'm

hoping to find some way to work them into a future version.





*******************************************************************************

V. BATTLE STRATEGIES

*******************************************************************************



%%%CHAPTER I: THE MEAGER%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00bs1



---Battle 1: Gariland----------------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Squire (male) x3, Squire (female) x1, Chemist (male) x1



--STRATEGY--

The key in this battle is advance slowly and not to let your characters get

spread out. Stay on the left side, away from the bulk of the houses.



The enemy Chemist has the ability to heal the other enemies, which can be a

pain. If you have the chance to take him out, do so; otherwise, he'll heal the

enemy soldiers you've been attacking. Actually, you can stop him from doing

this even if you attack him just once. He'll use up his turn healing himself

instead of healing any of the other enemies.



Attack from the enemy from behind or from the side whenever possible, as you're

more likely to land a hit that way. (In general, rear attacks are best as they

also cancel out enemy shields -- but no enemies have shields yet, so side and

rear attacks will be equally effective.) At the end of each character's turn,

you choose which direction they facing. Make sure you end your turns facing

the enemies, which will make it harder for them to hit you from behind! (When

possible, you can even put your back to the side of a building to protect it

completely!)



Make good use of your Chemists for healing--you start out with 5 Potions and

you can use them to heal a character who gets injured. If you don't have

teammates who need healing, the Chemists can also attack. (Note that Chemists

have an inherent Throw Item ability, so they don't have to be next to a

character to use an item on him/her. This is NOT true for other characters

using the Item ability, however.)



Don't worry about Delita; the Guest AI is pretty reckless and it's likely he'll

get himself KOed. Since he's a Guest character, though, he can't die

permanently and will be revived at the end of the battle.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 2000 gil, Mythril Knife, Phoenix Down, Potion





---Battle 2: Mandalia Plain----------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], Argath [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Squire (male) x4, Thief (male) x1, Red Panther x1



--STRATEGY--

Your choice before the battle affects your victory conditions here. If you

chose just to fight the Corpse Brigade, you only have to KO all the enemies.

If you chose the second option, then there's an additional requirement: You

must also keep Argath from being KOed, as you will lose the battle if he gets

KOed. The first option is better, of course, since it makes the battle easier

and



If you DID choose to help Argath, though, you need to protect him. Start

moving a Chemist towards Argath right away. Fortunately, Argath will probably

flee away from the enemies and into one corner. Heal him just to be on the

safe side, and then you're free to concentrate on the enemies.



Attack from above if you can, and guard your back with the rocks scattered

about the battlefield or with other ally units. Remember that if you act

without moving, or move without acting, your next turn will come sooner than if

you both act AND move. So if there's no real need for a character to move or

to take action, don't do it just for the heck of it. Your next turn will come

sooner if you don't.



You'll encounter your first monster here in the form of a Red Panther. It's

the toughest unit in the enemy forces, but it's not too bad. Be warned that,

like all monsters, it will counterattack you whenever you attack it. Don't

attack the Red Panther using a character who's low on HP, or the counterattack

is liable to KO you! (You CAN avoid the counterattack by using the Squire

ability Stone to attack from a distance, but this ability is really too weak to

be worth using.) The Red Panther can also poison you, which causes you to

lose a little HP after each turn you take. You can cure this with an Antidote

if you want, but it's probably not necessary--the poison wears off after a few

turns, anyway.



This may be your first chance to pick up crystals or chests. When the counter

over a KOed enemy unit goes down past 0, the unit vanishes and is replaced with

a crystal or treasure chest. Pick these up by moving onto the same tile.

Picking up a chest will get you an item. Picking up a crystal will either heal

the unit, or in some cases give you the option of learning many of the defeated

enemy's abilities. (Note that although you point the cursor at an individual

ability, you actually learn ALL of the abilities offered, regardless of what

you pick!) Crystals from monsters will only heal you since monsters don't have

any abilities you can learn, and crystals from humans won't always offer you an

ability either. (Unless the units is in desperate need of healing, you should

generally choose to learn the ability, as this permanently adds abilities to

the character!) Crystals from humans are great to pick up as they can teach

you new abilities, so grab them when you see them. Monster crystals are only

necessary to pick up if you need healing -- or to prevent the enemies from

getting to them first, as they can heal themselves with crystals too! Chests

typically just offer items you can buy in stores anyway and so are not as

important to collect, but early on they can still be useful as money is

tighter.



If one of your OWN units gets KOed, you must act to revive the character before

the countdown runs down and the character is lost permanently. Right now,

you've got two ways to revive a character. If one of your Chemists learned the

Phoenix Down and you have Phoenix Downs in stock, you can use the Phoenix Down

to revive the character. Or, you can hurry and clear the battle before the

countdown runs out -- when you win a battle, any characters who have been KOed

but not completely erased will be brought back to life.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Potion x2





---Battle 3: The Siedge Weald--------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], Argath [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Red Panther x1, Goblin x2, Black Goblin x2, Bomb x2



--STRATEGY--

This battle is nothing but monsters; watch out for their counterattacks! For

the most part, though, they're not too tough. Take out on the enemies on the

higher ground first before you start crossing the water. Otherwise, you'll

expose yourself to attack from above.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 4: Dorter Slums------------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], Argath [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Knight (male) x1, Archer (male) x3, Black Mage (male) x 2



--STRATEGY--

The enemy has Archers and Black Mages, who both have ranged attacks and can

hit you from a distance. This means that you'll need to be more aggressive; if

you hang back at a distance, the enemy can keep hitting you from afar!



Note that when one of your characters gets hit with a Black Magick spell, the

characters in adjacent tiles also take damage. There are two ways to avoid

this. While the spell is still charging, you can move the other characters out

of the way, or you can kill the Black Mage charging the spell and stop the

attack entirely! Since the spells do quite a bit of damage, it's great to

take out the Black Mages as soon as you have the chance. They don't have much

HP so you can finish them off easily. (Note that spells can also have a

"friendly fire" effect -- if another enemy is in range of the spell when it

goes off, they get hurt too! You can possibly use this to your advantage by

positioning targeted characters next to enemy units.) To check when the spell

is going to be fired, press the Circle button when it's your turn, then use the

Triangle button to bring up the menu and choose Turn List.



If you have Black Mages of your own, you can also use these area damage effects

to extend the effective range of your magicks. If the range of your magick is

one tile too short to hit an enemy, you can target the tile directly in front

of the enemy and the magick will still hit the enemy thanks to the area effect.

This is a good tactic for hitting more distant enemies, like you see in this

battle. Just make sure the enemy won't be able to move out of the way before

the magick activates!



There are two enemy Archers on the tall building beside where you start. At

the beginning of the battle, Delita and Argath will begin climbing up the

building to attack them. Let Delita and Argath handle the two Archers, and

send at most one other character up the building. The rest of your team

should advance down the street. Take out the Black Mages first since they can

do so much damage.



It's likely that one or more of your characters will get KOed during the

battle. Remember that if the counter over their head goes below 0, you lose

the character permanently. To avoid this, when a character's counter gets low

(0 or 1), use a Phoenix Down on him or her. Even if another attack takes the

character out right away, the counter will be reset and you've bought yourself

a few more turns to finish the battle.



Since you start on the street and the enemy has the high ground, Archers are

not particularly useful here. On the other hand, Move +1 is a great ability to

have as it helps you quickly close the distance between you and the enemy's

ranged attackers.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 500 gil, Iron Sword, Hempen Robe, Ether





---Battle 5: The Sand Rat's Sietch---------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza, Delita [guest], 1 other

2nd Squad - Argath [guest], 2 others

ENEMY FORCES: Knight (male) x 3, Archer (male) x1, Monk (male) x2



--STRATEGY--

You'll deploy your characters in two squads for this battle. Be sure to deploy

somebody with the Items command (either a Chemist, or another character who's

learned the ability) in the second group.



There are two entrances to the fort. When the battle begins, send most of

your characters towards the entrance that's closer to Argath. This is where

the bulk of the fighting will take place. Argath will probably make a suicide

mission into the building, but keep healing him anyway -- if you were able to

give him a Black Magick spell (as recommended in the walkthrough), he'll be

very helpful. Don't crowd the doorway or you'll get in trouble. Let

the enemies come outside to you.



Meanwhile, Delita will head towards the other entrance. You might want to

send one other character with him. Hopefully, Delita's squad have the chance

to sneak up on the enemy Archer from the rear and take him out so he can't keep

shooting at the main squad.



Remember that if a character doesn't move on a particular turn, his or her next

turn will come quicker. If you don't need to move to land an attack, stay put

and you'll get more turns. This is especially helpful for your Chemist; by

having him/her remain stationary and throw items to the characters who need

healing, you'll get more turns and more chances to heal.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 500 gil, Hi-Potion, Blind Knife





---Battle 6: Brigands' Den-----------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], Argath [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Milleuda, Thief (male) x2, White Mage (female) x2



BOSS: Milleuda [Virgo] - lv 7 Knight - Bravery 68, Faith 58

Equipment : Iron Shield, Bronze Shield, Iron Helm, Chainmail, Power Gauntlet

Abilities : Arts of War, random action ability, Parry, random Squire support

ability, Move +1



--STRATEGY--

If you happen to have any male Pisces characters or Taurus and Capricorns of

either gender, deploying them here can be useful. Milleuda, the boss here, is

always a female Virgo, and the three Zodiac signs listed above will do extra

damage to her. (You can only prepare your Zodiac signs in this way when

fighting bosses; non-boss enemies have randomized Zodiac signs.)



I recommend standing up on cliffs on the left side of the fort when possible;

you have a height advantage there. Since you should have Hi-Potions now, use

them for all your healing needs--the 30 HP from a regular Potion just doesn't

cut it now.



There are two White Mages here. Check their status; they may have Black

Magicks or Items as a secondary ability. A Black Magick-wielding mage is the

most dangerous, so if either or both have Black Magick, try to take any of

these out first. (You can use the same tricks you used in Dorter to avoid

their magick.) However, if an Item-using Mage comes out of the fort and starts

using Hi-Potions, you may need to take her out first or she'll just heal all

the enemies. If either mage starts casting Cure, note that you can stop it

more or less same way you can stop a Black Magick spell -- either take out the

enemy they're trying to heal, or KO the Mage herself.



After you've taken out the White Mages, concentrate on Milleuda. Her attacks

are quite strong, If you have the Rend Weapon or Rend Armor abilities (both

from the Knight job), you may want to try them on her. Breaking her weapon

will greatly reduce her attack power, and breaking her armor will reduce her

HP total. If you already have a Thief, you could try stealing her equipment

too, as she's got a nice set of gear, but you'll be able to buy all her stuff

eventually.



The Thieves here may swipe some of your armor, or at least your headgear.

Although this might be annoying, it's not really too bad; you can just re-buy

the items after the battle. What's much more deadly, though, is the Steal

Heart attack they may use on your female characters, which will turn them to

the enemy side. If you have a choice, try to deploy male characters for this

battle as they can't be affected by a Steal Hart from a male Thief.



Milleuda is the game's first boss character, which means that as soon as you

KO her, the battle ends, even if there are other enemies left standing. If

you're in danger, take her out quickly to end the fight. But if you've got

Milleuda cornered or otherwise have the upper hand, you may want to finish

off the other enemies for more Exp & JP, then let them die completely so they

turn into a chest or crystal.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 700 gil, Iron Sword, Bronze Shield





---Battle 7: Lenalian Plateau--------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Milleuda, Knight (female) x2, Black Mage (male) x2,

Time Mage (female) x1



BOSS: Milleuda [Virgo] - lv 8 Knight - Bravery 68, Faith 58

Equipment : Mythril Sword, Bronze Shield, Barbut, Chainmail, Shoulder Cape

Abilities : Arts of War, random action ability, Counter,

random Squire support ability, Jump +1



--STRATEGY--

Again, Taurus, Capricorn, and male Pisces characters will do extra damage

against Milleuda since she's a female Virgo.



Play the first few rounds defensively to prevent any early casualties, and use

the high ground to your advantage. Send one or two characters after the Black

Mages, and possibly the Time Mage as well. If you have an Archer, send

him/her up onto the tall ridge and shoot down on the enemies.



After knocking out the Black Mages, concentrate on Milleuda. This time, she

has the Counter ability, which means that whenever you hit her with a close-

range attack, she has a chance of striking back. So, be sure not to use any

close-range attacks against her unless your HP is high. A good strategy is to

attack her with long-distance attacks like bows and Black Magick, which won't

allow her to counterattack. Milleuda might also use her Rend abilities to

break your gear. Again, as soon as Milleuda goes down, the battle ends, even

if other enemies are still standing.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 1000 gil, Silken Robe, Battle Boots





---Battle 8: Windflat Mill-----------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Wiegraf, Boco, Knight (female), Monk (female) x2



BOSS: Wiegraf [Virgo] - lv 9 White Knight - Bravery 71, Faith 64

Equipment : Mythril Sword, Round Shield, Barbut, Chainmail, Shoulder Cape

Abilities : Holy Sword, random action ability, Counter,

random Squire support ability, Jump +1



ENEMY: Boco [Aries] - lv 7 Chocobo - Bravery 68, Faith 48



--STRATEGY--

Like his sister, Wiegraf is a Virgo. He's male, though, so this time Taurus,

Capricorn, and FEMALE Pisces characters are the ones to deploy (if you happen

to have them -- if not, don't sweat it).



Wiegraf is the only real threat here; most of his companions are pretty weak.

Start moving along the bottom of the cliff and quickly take out the Chocobo

(Boco) and the Monk. Wiegraf and the other enemies will soon move down to

fight you. Finish off any enemies that are low on HP, then go after Wiegraf.



Wiegraf uses a couple different special sword techniques that allow him to

attack from a distance and (unlike magick) don't require any charge time.

Most of the time, he'll use Northswain's Strike, which strikes a single

character (usually for about 35 HP or so), but if your characters are close

together, he may also use Judgment Blade to attack a "plus-shaped" group of

tiles. These attacks are pretty strong, but Wiegraf doesn't have a great

defense, so if you hit him with a few strong attacks (Mythril Swords, black

magick), he'll go down quickly. Just stay healed!



Because you're fighting in such close quarters, watch out for the "friendly

fire" effects of your own spells! In general, if one of your allies is

standing right next to an enemy, a useful trick is to target the tile right

BEHIND the enemy to avoid hitting your ally when the spell goes off. For

instance, if your characters are positioned like below, target the space marked

with a *:

*EA (A = ally, E = enemy)

This way, you'll still hit the enemy, but the spell is positioned so as not to

harm your ally.



As soon as Wiegraf's HP drops to critical status, he'll teleport away and the

battle will end.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Hi-Potion





---Battle 9: Ziekden Fortress--------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza, Delita [guest], 1 other

2nd Squad - 2 others

ENEMY FORCES: Argath, Knight (male) x3, Black Mage (female) x3



BOSS: Argath [Virgo] - lv 10 Knight - Bravery 32, Faith 67

Equipment : Knightslayer, Round Shield, Barbut, Chainmail, Power Gauntlet

Abilities : Arts of War, random action ability, Auto-Potion, Equip Crossbows,

Move +1



--STRATEGY--

You'll deploy in two squads again for this battle. Deploy your best damage-

dealer along with Ramza in the first squad. The character in the second squad

are going to be largely useless as they start far away from the action. If you

want to pick and choose Zodiac signs, Argath is again a Virgo and susceptible

to Taurus, Capricorn, and female Pisces attacks.



Luckily, you can almost beat the whole fight just using Ramza. Just go after

Argath and completely ignore the other guys. He's only got a crossbow, so he

can't do much damage to you, and he's useless at close ranges. Just chase

him down and hit him with your strongest attacks, like Knight and Monk attacks

and Black Magick. Because it's snowing, the Blizzard families of spells will

be particularly effective -- and even more so if the caster has an Ice Rod

equipped. You'll want to block Argath from climbing up the stairs to the roof

of the fort, as he has a good sniping point if he gets up there and it's slow

climbing up after him. Just position your characters between him and the

stairs and he shouldn't be able to climb up there.



Argath does have the Auto-Potion ability, which gives him a random chance to

heal himself with a Potion when you hit him, so you may want to avoid using

very weak attacks against him--the gain from the Auto-Potion may heal him more

than you hurt him for! (The ability isn't always activated, though. And Auto-

Potion also can't protect him whenever you land the killing blow. Again, as

you soon as you knock down Argath, the fight--and the chapter--ends.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





%%%CHAPTER II: THE MANIPULATIVE & THE SUBSERVIENT%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00bs2



---Battle 10: Dorter-----------------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Gaffgarion [guest], Agrias [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Black Mage (male) x2, Archer (female) x2, Thief (male) x2



--STRATEGY--

There's no boss here, so you'll have to wipe out every enemy on the map to win.

If you've got good jobs, though, this battle should be no problem. Just move

up the path and take out the enemies as you go. The Black Mages and Archers

do the most damage, so when you've got a choice, go after them before the

Thieves.



Agrias has a nasty habit of casting spells indiscriminatly on your own people,

thanks to the goofy Guest AI. You can either de-equip her spells from the menu

beforehand, or pay attention to which she enemy she is targeting and stay

clear.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 1000 gil, Flame Rod, Mage Masher, Phoenix Down





---Battle 11: Araguay Woods----------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Gaffgarion [guest], Agrias [guest], Boco [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Goblin x5, Black Goblin x1



--STRATEGY--

If you choose the second option before the battle, you must keep Boco from

being KOed. Fortunately, this isn't hard. Boco will usually retreat into a

corner, where will be chased by the lone Black Goblin. Boco can take care of

himself just fine, so don't bother going after the Black Goblin unless you've

mopped up all the other enemies.



The Goblins aren't very strong, especially with Agrias's and Gaffgarion's help,

so I recommend just rushing them. Stay out of the ditches.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Hi-Potion





---Battle 12: Zeirchele Falls--------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Agrias [guest], Delita [guest], Ovelia [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Gaffgarion [Fell Knight; Virgo], Knight (male) x5



--STRATEGY--

First, take out Gafgarion. If you turned him into a crummy job before the

battle and stripped off his armor (heh heh), you should be able to KO him in

one hit.



The mission here is to protect Ovelia, which means you can't let her get KOed.

She isn't in too much danger, though, since she can cast Aegis, which puts a

whole lot of good defensive buffs on her. She only has enough MP to cast this

once, though, and it wears off after a few turns. Just to be on the safe side,

keep a healer reasonably close to her.



Start off by taking out the Knights on your side of the falls. One of the

Knights from the far side will probably try to cross over, so position an

Archer (assuming you have one) on the corner of the cliff and shoot down at the

guy. Agrias tends to loiter in the water and may finish him off; if not, send

a character or two down after him.



A great trick here is to KO one of the enemy Knights while he's standing on the

bridge. Until he decomposes into a chest/crystal, his body will completely

block the other Knights from crossing the bridge. Since the Knights have NO

ranged attacks, you can use this as a chance to shoot at them from afar.



If any of the Knights drops to critical HP, he may try to flee up the cliffs on

the side of the falls. You'll have to chase after him, so it may be useful to

bring a character with a good Move range to this battle. (Battle Shoes and

Move+1 or +2 will increase your Move range.)



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 13: Zaland-----------------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Agrias [guest], Mustadio [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Knight (male) x2, Black Mage (male) x2, Archer (female) x2



--STRATEGY--

This is a toughie. If you chose the second option before the battle, you'll

have to keep Mustadio alive; otherwise, you can let him get KOed without

losing the battle. (Of course, choosing the second option also gives you a

greater boost to your Bravery.)



When deploying your character, deploy them in the "front" row (i.e., the row

where Ramza is already standing). This starts them closer to the gate and

allows them to get into the city faster.



The enemy is holed up inside Zaland and launches arrows and powerful Black

Magick at you through (and over) the wall. Any melee characters you have will

need to rush for the gates. In the mean time, your Archers and mages can fire

back with their own ranged attacks. Equip the Archer's Bane reaction ability

on any character who has it, as it will help protect you against the enemy

arrows.



Mustadio will initially do one of our things. Most likely, he'll run up on the

top of the gate and attack with his gun from them. This is the "good" outcome

since it keeps relatively him out of harm's way. But sometimes he'll stay on

the ground inside the city, which is bad news, as all the enemies will pick on

him and it's hard to reach for him healing. In this case, your best option is

to cast Shell on him to reduce the magick damage he takes. Note that you

can't throw items through the wall, but you CAN cast White Magick through it,

so you're probably better off with a White Mage for healing here.



If you've been using Ramza mostly for close-range attacks, he may not be much

help here. On his first turn, have him use Tailwind on one of your Archers or

Black Mages to boost their speed and get them more turns. Then start him

running towards the gate so he can get into the city and use melee attacks.



Make the Mages your first target, since their magick attacks are so strong.

Use Black Magick, bows, and the Black Chocobo (if you brought one) to take them

out as quickly as possible. Until the Mages go down, keep your characters

spread out so enemy magicks can't hit more than one of your characters at a

time. After the Mages go down, go after the Archers, then the Knights.



Mustadio's initial abilities seem to be randomly determined, but if he happens

to start with Beastmaster, land the Black Chocobo next to him. Mustadio's

Beastmaster skill will allow the Black Chocobo to cast Choco Meteor, a really

strong attack. (You can tell what abilities Mustadio has equipped by clicking

on his tile.)



Mustadio also uses his Aimed Shot abilities to put status conditions on the

enemies. Immobilize (from Leg Shot) will keep an enemy from moving for a few

turns, and Disable (from Arm Shot) will keep an enemy from taking action. If

a bad guy gets hit with Disable, don't bother targeting them any further,

since they can't do anything to hurt you for a few turns. A Knight that's been

Immobilized is also a low-priority target since he can't move to attack you as

long as you stay out of the tiles directly next to him. (The Black Mages and

Archers can still shoot even if they're Immobilized, though!)



As for the Knights, they'll probably try to climb over the wall on the side of

the map opposite the gate into the city. Agrias will attack them, but she

can't take them out her own, so help her out with your ranged attacks.



The Knights may also use Phoenix Downs to revive any Mages and Archers you KO.

Characters revived with Phoenix Down comes back with only a little HP, though,

so you should be able to knock them back out again with just a single attack.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 2000 gil, Mythril Sword, Hi-Potion





---Battle 14: Balias Tor-------------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Agrias [guest], Mustadio [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Knight (male) x2, Archer (female) x2, Summoner (female) x2



--STRATEGY--

This battle can be harder than it looks. The enemy squad has Summoners for

the first time (one positioned on each side of the hill), and their summon

spells can do big damage to your team.



On the first turn, Mustadio will probably chase after one of the Summoners.

Send a fast and/or magic-using character around the opposite side of the hill

to take out the other Summoner. The Summoners don't have much HP, so you

should be able to finish them off in a couple turns. Meanwhile, have the rest

of your squad attack the center of the hill. If you can attack the enemies

quickly, the Summoners may squander their turns casting Moogle for healing

instead of using damaging summons on you.



You're not *required* to keep Mustadio alive in this battle -- if he gets KOed,

you won't lose the battle -- but it's a good idea to keep him standing, as his

gun is quite helpful. As in Zaland, don't waste your turns attacking enemies

that Mustadio has Immobilized or Disabled.



A cool trick here is to use the Squire ability Rush to knock the Knights and

Archers off the hill. They'll take damage if they fall too far, and you'll put

them out of range of attacking you.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 1000 gil, Holy Water





---Battle 15: Tchigolith Fenlands----------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Mustadio [guest], 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Skeleton x2, Bonesnatch x1, Ghoul x2,

Floating Eye or Malboro or Pig x1



--STRATEGY--

The last member of the enemy forces is randomly determined; it's usually a

Floating Eye, but sometimes you'll get a Malboro or Pig instead.



Randomness aside, this is a fairly normal battle with a few quirks. First, if

you end your turn in the swamp, you get poisoned. (Simply passing through the

swamp as part of a move won't poison you as long as you end the move on dry

land.) This isn't that bad, but if you have a choice, stand on land. And be

sure not to end your turn in any water where the Depth is displayed as 2 -- if

you stop here, you won't be able to take any actions, as you're up to your head

in water. (The Ninja ability Waterwalking would prevent this, in the unlikely

event you have it already.)



Second, almost all the enemies (everyone except the Malboro, Pig, or Floating

Eye) are undead -- that means you can use heal spells and items to damage them.

It's quite effective. If you've had a chance to learn Mustadio's Seal Evil

ability, he may also use that to turn the undead monsters to turn them to

stone. Other than those two exceptions, there's nothing here you haven't seen

before.



The Pig shows up pretty infrequently, but if you DO see it, it's definitely

worth trying to recruit it using the Orator's Entice or Tame abilities. You

can use the Pig to breed pig-family monsters, all of which yield great rare

items when poached. Or, if you can't recruit it but DO have Poach, you could

at least poach it, though you won't actually be able to collect your poached

item until Chapter III. Note the Pig can only appear during the initial story

battle, not later random battles.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 16: Goug Lowtown-----------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Mustadio [guest], 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Archer (female) x2, Thief (male) x2, Summoner (male) x2



--STRATEGY--

The enemy Archers in this battle have a huge range and it's hard to stay

out of range completely. So, don't deploy any character who has really low HP

as you probably won't be able to protect him/her/it completely. Equipping the

Archer's Bane reaction ability will help you a lot, if you have it available.



Mustadio will be almost invariably killed at the start of the battle -- he has

no equipment and starts right next to the enemies. Don't worry about him.

He's still a Guest so he can't die permanently yet.



Move your guys up onto the roof. Use ranged attacks to take out the Summoners.

Note that both Summoners are one side of the enemy roof and both Archers on

the other. If you stick towards the side of the map with the Summoners, it may

keep the Archers from shooting at you for a turn or two.



Kill any unit that moves onto your roof; Thieves first, Archers second. Early

in the battle, don't chase enemies over to the other roof, or you'll get

surrounded. Just fire ranged attacks at them. (Later, once there are only a

couple enemies left, it's safe to jump across.) Your highest priority is to

keep your guys healed, not to hit the enemy. Useful abilities here are Chakra,

Counter, Firaga/Blizzaga/Thundaga, and Archer's Bane. Bows and guns are useful

for their ranged attacks.



When the Summoners start charging a spell, use the Turn List to check what it

is. If it's just Moogle, you're fine, as that only heals them a little. But

if they start casting anything else, it's an attack spell. Try to quickly

take out the Summoner before he can finish the spell, or spread your characters

out to minimize the hurt. Summon magick does a lot of damage!



If the battle drags on for a while, the Summoners may run out of MP. In this

case, you can pretty much ignore them completely as they can't really harm you

at all.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 100 gil, Thunder Rod





---Battle 17: Balias Swale-----------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza, Agrias [guest], 2 others

2nd Squad - 2 others

ENEMY FORCES:

1st Squad - Knight (male) x2, Black Mage (male) x1, Archer (female) x1

2nd Squad - Black Mage (male) x1, Archer (female) x 2



--STRATEGY--

Kill the Black Mages first (using range attacks if you have them), then the

Archers. This fight is really easy; just make sure Agrias stays alive.

Because it's so easy, it's a good time to let the enemies' counters run out and

pick up the loot they leave behind. (Paralyze Agrias or use Mustadio's Arm or

Leg Shot on her to keep her from finishing off the last enemy.)



The archer in the second squad has a Poison Bow crossbow you could steal,

although it's not too special and you'll be able to buy it soon enough anyway.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Echo Herbs





---Battle 18: Golgollada Gallows-----------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others

2nd Squad - 2 others

ENEMY FORCES: Gaffgarion, Knight (male) x3, Archer (female) x2,

Time Mage (female) x2



ENEMY: Gaffgarion [Virgo] - lv 17 Fell Knight - Bravery 61, Faith 67

Equipment : Blood Sword, Mythril Shield, Close Helmet, other equipment random

Abilities : Fell Sword, other abilities random



--STRATEGY--

Deploy at least one strong fighter in the second squad (Agrias is good). For

the rest of your team, anyone with a ranged attack is really useful (bows,

guns, or Black Magick), and Monks and Geomancers can be good too.



Note that although Gaffgarion seems like a boss character, KOing him will NOT

end this battle. You need to take out all the enemies!



You're surrounded by enemies. What you need to do to gain the advantage is

start climbing up the side of the gate, near where the first squad starts.

Move immediately for the scaffolding, though as move, you can continue to use

your attacks to disable the enemy forces.



Because there are so many enemies here and they all start close to you, you

need to limit the number of enemies who can functionally attack you at once.

Abilities that are good for this are Mustadio's Arm Shot, Agrias's Judgment

Blade (which sometimes causes Stop), and the Geomancer's Tanglevine (which

also causes Stop and almost always works). Leg Shot is also useful against the

Knights, but not against the other characters, since they can all attack from a

distance.



Once you start getting up on the scaffolding and gate, you can start attacking.

Go after those pesky Archers first. You can use bows, guns, Black Magick, and

Agrias's Holy Sword to attack from a distance. These attacks all have an

infinite vertical range, so you can use them all the way from atop of the gate

or on the scaffolding. Once you have the height advantage, it's a lot harder

for the enemy Knights and Archers to hit you, and you can fight them a few at a

time.



You'll be taking a lot of hits, so a good way to heal yourself is to not have

your healer move once he or she is in position on the scaffolding -- this lets

him/her get more turns. Throw Items has a really good vertical range, so even

if you're positioned up on top of the gate, you can throw items down to

characters still climbing up.



Gaffgarion is the most dangerous enemy here; not only does his Shadowblade do

good damage to you, it drains HP back to him. If you have a really powerful

magick spell (like Firaja or Holy or something), you can try using that to take

him out in one shot. Or, if you use Steal Weapon or Rend Weapon to disable

his Blood Sword, you can disable all his sword techniques. Stealing it is

particularly advantageous since the Blood Sword is a rare weapon and has the

nice side effect of draining HP back to you from the enemy. If you want to

steal the Blood Sword, you'll have better luck if you equip Brawler as a

support ability, target Gaffgarion from behind, and/or put him to sleep. (A

Taurus, Capricorn, or female Pisces will also be at an advantage for stealing.)



If you don't steal/rend the Blood Sword, you'll have to knock Gaffgarion down

bit by bit. Take out the Archers first and then start hammering on him with

your whole team, since you need to damage him faster than he can heal himself.

He has Counter; attacking from a distance (if you can) is one way to get around

this, but you can also just hit him with Arm Shot. If he's Disabled, he can't

use his Counter. You needn't take away *all* his HP; as soon as he gets to

critical status, he'll teleport out of the battle.



The Time Mages are your lowest priority here. Even though they don't have much

HP, taking them out is just a waste of turns as they can't do all that much to

harm you. About all they do is cast Slow, and if you brought Diamond

Bracelets from Warjilis, you're immune to that. So attack the Time Mages last.



Using Ramza's Tailwind to increase the speed of your most crucial characters.

If your archers or gunners have a spare turn, you can also have them try using

Focus to build up their attack power.



If you just can't win, try fighting some battles in Balias Swale to get some

better abilities like Arise, Equip Heavy Armor, Auto-Potion, Chakra (which I

would strongly advise you to acquire by now), etc.



If you deploy Agrias in this battle, there will be some extra dialogue between

her and Ramza when she finds out he's a Beoulve.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 19: Lionel Castle Gate-----------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza

2nd Squad - 4 others

ENEMY FORCES:

1st Squad - Gaffgarion

2nd Squad - Knight (female) x3, Archer (male) x2, Summoner (male) x1



BOSS: Gaffgarion [Virgo] - lv 18 Fell Knight - Bravery 61, Faith 67

Equipment : Ancient Sword, Golden Shield, Close Helmet, other equipment

random

Abilities : Fell Sword, no second action ability, other abilities random



--STRATEGY--

When deploying your second squad, any characters that you want in the front row

(e.g. melee fighters) should be placed in the back of the three rows (i.e., the

top-right) on the deployment screen. You'll be attacked from behind, so these

characters will actually end up closest to the enemy. Meanwhile, ranged

attackers and magick users should go towards the bottom-left of the deployment

screen so they'll end up behind your fighters.



Ramza starts trapped inside the gate with Gaffgarion, while the rest of your

characters have another set of enemies to fight outside. There are a couple

different strategies you can use to deal with Gaffgarion:

1. If Ramza has the Time Mage ability Teleport, you can use that to move him

outside of the gate and strand Gaffgarion inside. Take out all the enemies

outside, then have Ramza teleport back inside and open the gate. You'll

have to be careful not to stand *too* close to the gate when fighting

outside because Gaffgarion can use his sword techniques through the wall.

This strategy has the advantage of allowing Ramza to help fighting outside.

2. Or, move Ramza down to the ground and have him use Chakra (Monk) on every

turn to heal the damage Gaff is doing. (If Ramza doesn't have Chakra, Hi-

Potions should work too, as long as you have enough of them.) Stay close to

Gaffgarion so he won't try to go anywhere else Don't attack Gaffgarion or

open the gate; just sit there and use Chakra. Keep stalling Gaffgarion

until your other characters defeat the enemies outside. This strategy won't

let Ramza fight outside, but it guarantees Gaffgarion won't attack anyone

outside.

3. Finally, if one of your other characters has strong Black Magicks (e.g. a

-ja or a -ga spell coupled with Arcane Strength), deploy him/her outside the

gate. Use Ramza to lure Gaffgarion near the gate, and then have the Black

Mage use magick on Gaffgarion (since Black Magicks can go through walls) to

KO him. It doesn't matter if the spell KOs Ramza as long as you KO Gaff

because KOing Gaffgarion will cause Ramza to recover with 1 HP. Once you've

KOed Gaffgarion, you can have Ramza open the gate and join the fight

outside. A nice benefit of this strategy is that it turns Gaffgarion into a

crystal that you can use for healing or ability learning (sadly, you can't

learn his special sword techniques from the crystal), but it only works if

you have strong Black Magicks.



Meanwhile, your other four characters have to take on the gang outside the

gate. The Summoner is the most dangerous enemy here, so try to take him out

immediately or use Mustadio's Arm Shot to Disable him. If he does start

casting a spell, spread your characters out so he can't blast your whole team.



In general, Arm Shot is a great ability for this fight, as it reduces the

number of enemies that can attack you at once. (You can also use the Mystic's

Hesitation spell for the same effect.) Moreover, putting Disable on a

character causes him/her to flee into a corner, which means that it will take

another turn or two to get back into the battle even once Disable wears off.

Note that Disabling a character who's charging up an attack will cancel the

attack. This is a good way to stop a Summon or Archer's Aim attack if you've

got no other options.



For dealing damage, guns are quite helpful as they can allow you to attack

without having to Move. Remember that if you don't move during a turn, your

next turn will come more quickly, which helps a lot when you're surrounded by

lots of enemies! Agrias's sword techniques are also great for damage-dealing,

and her Northswain's Strike ability (if you have it) has a chance of taking out

an enemy outright. Also, when enemies are bunched together, use Black Magick,

Summon spells or Agrias's Judgment Blade to hit more than one enemy at a time.

Once you've mopped up most of the enemies outside the gate, move Ramza up to

the switch on the left side of the gate and he will open the door.



Now, have your whole gang rush inside and attack Gaffgarion. Try to rend his

sword, or even better, steal it. Again, using Arm Shot to Disable him is quite

useful, as it not only prevents from attacking you, but turns off his

counterattack and prevents him from blocking with his shield. He shouldn't be

too much trouble -- the hard part is the fight outside the gate. But, be

careful not to let him pick up any crystallized enemies; he can use the

crystals to restore all his HP just like you can! Either pick up the crystals

as soon as they appear, or position your characters to block his route to the

crystals. You do have to take away ALL his HP this time instead of just

reducing him to crtical, but once you do, he's finally gone for good.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 700 gil, Mythril Helm





---Battle 20: Zeirchele Falls--------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Delita, Ovelia [guest]

ENEMY FORCES: Knight (male) x1, Archer (male) x1, Black Mage (female) x1



--STRATEGY--

Delita is your only controllable character here. Ovelia is a guest. As

before, she'll probably just cast Aegis and run. But now that she has more MP,

she can also cast Aegis on Delita on her second turn instead of only casting

it on herself.



Move Delita across the bridge and start attacking the enemy forces. He has all

of the Holy Sword techniques, so use them -- with Hallowed Bolt and Judgment

Blade, you can probably hit more than enemy at once. Since there are only

three enemies and none of them are that strong, you should be able to defeat

them without much trouble. Really, this battle is quite easy; the main purpose

of it is just to give you a chance to play as Delita :)



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 21: Lionel Castle Oratory--------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Cuchulainn [The Impure; Scorpio]



--STRATEGY--

This battle can be tricky because Cuchulainn casts a variety of status attacks

from a distance while running from you--plus, he gets the first turn! You'll

find him easier to beat if you can trap him so he can't move.



To get the jump on Cuchulainn, deploy your 4 teammates as follows:

__

XX



X = character other than Ramza

XX

---

Ramza can be placed on any other tile because he'll automatically move

forward during the pre-battle story events.



If you place your characters in this formation, Cuchulainn will have to come

down the stairs on his first turn to start casting his magick. Now you can

rush him and attack. If you can surround him, he won't be able to flee out of

range. If you can't get within striking distance on a particular character's

turn, at least position him/her on the stairs to keep him from climbing back

up. You could also use Leg Shot to Immobilize him, but since you can surround

him pretty well this tactic anyway, it's just kind of a wasted turn. (He's

immune to Disable, so don't bother trying Arm Shot.)



As noted above, Cuchulainn's attacks consist primarily of status-attack magick.

(Occasionally, he'll use a physical attack instead.) His Nightmare spell will

inflict Sleep or Doom on a group of characters and has a 100% hit rate, and his

Bio magicks do damage and inflict various other status ailments. Use the Esuna

magick or the Monk's Purification ability to wake up the sleeping characters if

you have either available; otherwise, try using weak physical attacks (e.g.

Stone) to wake them up. Doom will cause your character to KO when the

countdown finishes. There's pretty no way to remove it, so just revive the

characters after they're KOed. (Striking a character with the White Staff

*may* remove the Doom status, but it doesn't always work and isn't worth

forfeiting a stronger weapon for.) Other status ailments can be cured with

Purification, Esuna, or the appropriate items if you happen to have them.



Try to keep your support characters spread out so they can't all be hit with

Cuchulainn's magick at once. Since both the Sleep and Doom effects of

Nightmare can be prevented with Protect Rings, you might be tempted to equip

those. However, if you equip Protect Rings, Cuchulainn will just cast Bio

spells more. Since the Bio spells are usually more dangerous than Nightmare,

you're better off without Protect Rings!



Good attacks to use against Cuchulainn include physical attacks and Agrias's

sword techniques. Guns and bows are also good, particularly if you trap him

down on your level. (If he escapes to the top of the map, guns will be less

useful because there are usually too many obstacles to get a clear line of

fire.) The Monk's Aurablast may also be helpful in hitting him before you have

a chance to trap him. Magick may be somewhat less useful here since it will

probably hit your allies too and you may be halted with a status effect before

you can get the spell off anyway. However, if you happen to have the Lich

summon spell already or the Time Mage's Graviga, these will do a lot of damage

-- they both do damage equal to half the target's max HP, regardless of

how high that max may be! (Even Gravity, which does damage equal to 1/4 of

max HP, can be useful.) In general, a good mix of close range fighters and

gun/bow users is probably best, and be sure to bring one or two characters who

can use Phoenix Downs! And since Cuchulainn is a Scorpio, any Cancer or Pisces

characters you might have (including Agrias) will do particular damage to him.



Cuchulainn has between 450 and 500 HP.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None



%%%CHAPTER III: THE VALIANT%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00bs3



---Battle 22: Gollund----------------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Orran [guest], 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Chemist (male) x2, Thief (female) x3, Orator (male) x1



--STRATEGY--

The battlefield here is covered in snow, which restricts your movement. And

top of that, the buildings are steep. So, you'll want to deploy characters

with a good Jump or Move range, or equip accessories to boost it. Because you

start on the bottom and the enemy is on rooftops above you, guns and bows are

not too effective here (you can't hit the enemy from below). Instead, try

bringing the Dragoon's Jump attack or Black Magick. Finally, the enemy has

three Thieves that like to steal your equipment, so you may want to protect

your investments by equipping the Safeguard ability, which prevents steals.



Orran possess the Celestial Stasis spell, which will Disable, Stop, or

Immobilize at least half the enemy forces every time he casts it. However,

he's still vulnerable until he gets this spell off, and the enemy Chemists can

hit him from a distance with their guns. So, keep an eye on his HP.



From where you start the battle, move a healer character and another character

to the right and up the low steps. These characters will be in a good position

to heal Orran (with White Magick or Throw Items) if he needs it. You can also

cast Protect him on if he's relatively healthy to boost his defense. The rest

of your squad can go around the other side of the building to start fighting

the enemies there. The enemies will probably be no match for your forces; the

key is just to keep Orran from getting killed, since if he's KOed, you lose the

battled.



This battle is also a great opportunity to do some stealing! Both Chemists are

carrying Mythril Guns, which are 2 attack points stronger than the Romandan

Pistols you're toting. These are the best prize to steal. Additionally, you

can grab an Orichalcum Dirk (a good dagger) and Germinas Boots (boots that

boost both your move *and* jump) from the Orator. The Thieves may also carry

Jujitsu Gis and Main Gauche, although Main Gauches aren't as strong as the

Orichalcum Dirk. Especially later in the battle, when Orran may have paralyzed

lots of enemies, try to steal some of their gear if their can!



Orran's Counter Tackle will knock enemies off the roofs for extra damage, and

you can try this yourself with Rush. The Orator tends to stay on the highest

roof and may be tough to reach, but you should be able to jump up there using

the "steps" on the right side of the roof. At that point, you can attack him

while on the roof or Rush him off the roof so your entire crew can attack him.

Or, just use Black Magick to attack from below.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 1500 gil, Battle Folio





---Battle 23: Lesalia Castle Postern-------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza, Alma [guest], 2 others

2nd Squad - 2 others

ENEMY FORCES: Zalmour, Knight (male) x3, Monk (female) x2



BOSS: Zalmour [Sagittarius] - lv 24 Celebrant - Bravery 54, Faith 78

Equipment : Musk Pole, Wizard's Hat, White Robe, Elven Cloak

Abilities : Priest Magicks, random action ability, Archer's Bane, Halve MP,

Lifefont



--STRATEGY--

If you didn't spot the rest of your team right away, they're behind the gate.

Since none of the enemies here have much in the way of range attacks (just some

weak Geomancy spells), you needn't rush down to attack them. Instead, keep

your characters up on top of the castle and let the enemies come up to you.

The majority of them will come up the stairs, so position the bulk of your team

there. Because the enemies are often in clusters, magick (and geomancy) works

well on them. The railing blocks direct gun shots down onto the ground, but

if you move up on top of the railing, you should be able to shoot from there.

Standing on the railing also gives you a height advantage and makes it harder

for the enemies to hit you.



Alma will probably cast Aegis on Ramza once, which will make him super-powered

for a few turns. (Shell and Protect will reduce the damage he takes, Regen

heals him, and Haste gets him more turns!) Take advantage of that! After

that, she'll just thwack your characters with her Healing Staff to restore

their HP.



The annoying part of this battle is Zalmour, who can cast Cura and Arise to

heal his troops. When you have the chance, start attacking him. (You may

also want to try stealing his White Robe if you get a chance.) He'll go down

quickly, and, as soon as you KO him, you win the battle.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Ether





---Battle 24: Monastery Vaults - Second Level----------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Chemist (male) x1, Time Mage (male) x2, Dragoon (male) x3



--STRATEGY--

This is your first encounter with enemy Dragoons. Their standard attack has

a two-tile range attack and is quite strong, and they can also use the Jump

attack. If one of them jumps at a character, try to move that character away

before the Dragoon lands (assuming you have a chance, that is). If you cast

Haste on your characters, you'll get more turns and hence a better chance of

being able to duck out of the way.



Since the Dragoons are so strong physically, you'll probably want to bring some

tough close-range fighters to fight back with. The Dragoons have a high evade

rate, so equipping the Concentration ability (Archer) on any characters that

have it is a good idea, as it ensures that your attacks never miss. Also, if

your fighters have Fire Shields or Ice Shields equipped, remember that casting

a fire or blizzard spell on the group will both damage the enemy Dragoons and

heal any characters with the appropriate shield -- it's good for close-quarters

fighting!



Take out the enemy Chemist so he can't heal the enemies, but save the Time

Mages for last. Pretty much all they'll do is cast Haste. If you have the

chance, though, position one of your characters next to the character getting

the Haste, as this allows you to



BATTLE TROPHIES: Battle Folio





---Battle 25: Monastery Vaults - Third Level-----------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Isilud, Knight (male) x2, Archer (male) x2, Summoner (male) x1



BOSS: Isilud [Gemini] - lv 26 Nightblade - Bravery 73, Faith 62

Equipment : Platinum Sword, Golden Shield, Platinum Helm, Platinum Armor,

Power Gauntlet

Abilities*: Arts of War, Jump, Counter, Safeguard, Ignore Elevation

* Isilud's Nightblade job also has Concentration as an innate ability.



--STRATEGY--

Your first order of business in this maze-like level is to send one or two

characters down the hall to kill the Summoner -- used ranged attacks to take

him out quickly before he can hit you with any Summoners. After the Summoner,

go after the archer that will have come up behind him.



At this time Isilud and his gang will be nearing you from behind. You'll want

to get up on top of the bookshelves to fight him on the same level. If you

have a Jump statistic of at least 5 (you can increase with the Spiked Boots or

Germinas Boots), you can jump directly on top of the shelves; otherwise, you'll

have to use the stairs in the corner. The stairs can get a little crowded, so

being able to jump up is helpful.



Watch out; Isilud has the Dragoon's Jump attack and an incredibly long jump

range. Haste is useful to avoid it. His plain sword attack is strong too, and

he can also counterattack. He also has Safeguard, so you can't steal or break

his sword or other equipment. Just ignore the other guys and attack Isilud.

The Mythril Gun and Agrias's Holy Sword techniques are both quite effective

here, and you can also use your own Jump attacks if you've got a Dragoon.

When Isilud drops to critical HP, he'll teleport away and you win.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Guardian Bracelet





---Battle 26: Monastery Vaults - First Level-----------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Wiegraf, Knight (female) x2, Archer (female) x2,

Black Mage (female) x1



BOSS: Wiegraf [Virgo] - lv 27 White Knight - Bravery 71, Faith 64

Equipment : Diamond Sword, Crystal Helm, random armor, Elven Cloak

Abilities : Holy Sword, random 2nd action ability, Counter, Doublehand,

Move +1



--STRATEGY--

Spread your characters out in your initial deployment since Wiegraf is almost

guaranteed to hit your group with a Judgment Blade before you have a chance to

move.



The tall wall divides this level into two halves -- the half where you start

and the half where the bad guys start, with a small doorway in the middle. But

Wiegraf will come running through to your side right away. Just go after

Wiegraf; most of his followers are irrelevant, as they probably won't even

reach you before Wiegraf goes down. The Archers can shoot through the doorway

from the other side, though, so Archer's Bane may be helpful.



As before, Wiegraf will use Judgment Blade a lot. Judgment Blade also randomly

casts Stop on you sometimes, but you protect yourself from that by equipping

Jade Armlets. (The armlets won't stop you from taking HP damage from Judgment

Blade, though.) Focus your attacks on Wiegraf. If you can't kill him in two

or so rounds, the other enemies will show up and you're in trouble. Wiegraf

must be knocked down to 0 HP before you win.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 2500 gil





---Battle 27: Zeklaus Desert---------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Luso [guest], 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Behemoth x3, Behemoth King x2, Dark Behemoth x1



--STRATEGY--

It's Behemoth city! When the formation screen appears, deploy all your

characters towards the upper-left corner of the available purple tiles. This

will start your characters as close to Luso as possible.



Luso can hold his own pretty well -- he comes with an Icebrand sword, which is

better than anything sold in stores at this point. Still, if he gets

surrounded by Behemoths, he'll get killed and you'll lose the battle, so move a

healer into position ASAP. (Casting the Protect spell on him or your other

characters is also a good idea, as the Behemoths only use physical attacks.)

If you move some other fighters down into the canyon with the Behemoths, you'll

keep them from ganging up on any one particular character. Remember that all

the Behemoths, being monsters, can counterattack, so Luso can take damage

pretty quickly fighting against them. (Fortunately, he's smart enough to

flee if his HP drops to critical, but even if it's not yet critical, a series

of behemoth attacks could take him out before he has a chance to move!)



Try to take out a few of the purple "regular" Behemoths quickly, before the

Behemoth Kings and Dark Behemoth have a chance to make it over to you. Those

are lot stronger and will take several attacks to kill. Agrias's Holy Sword

techniques are good for taking out the monsters and can't be counterattacked.



If you have an Orator or someone else with Speechcraft and Beast Tongue, it's

definitely worth trying to recruit some of the monsters here. If you can turn

one Traitor and keep it alive through the battle, it'll join your squad. None

of these monsters are ones you could otherwise recruit at this point in the

game, and the Behemoth King and Dark Behemoth are particularly rare. If you

get any of them, you can use them to breed more behemoths and poach them for

rare items! (Or, Luso automatically poaches any enemy he kills, so he if kills

any of the behemoths here, you should also get something good.)



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 28: Grogh Heights----------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Squire (male) x2, Chemist (male) x2, Archer (male) x1,

Thief (female) x1



--STRATEGY--

This is a fairly straightforward battle. The main challenges are the Thief,

who of course can steal your gear, and the Chemists, who both have guns and a

humongous range from their vantage point atop the heights. You'll want to

target the Chemists first. Fire back with your own guns, or have Mustadio use

his Arm Shot from a distance to Disable them.



The small passes between the cliffs can be a bit of a choke point as you try to

climb up. If you boost your Jump height with accessories and agile jobs, that

will help you scale the heights quickly. On the other hand, if the enemies

do get bunched up in a row in a pass, firing one of Agrias's Divine Ruination

skills (if you have it) will decimate them.



Because this is a fairly easy battle, it's a good chance to build up your

weaker characters if you want. I suppose you could also try letting the

enemies decay into crystals or chests, but these guys don't really have much

worth taking. (Hey, they're deserters, what do you expect?)



BATTLE TROPHIES: Mythril Gun





---Battle 29: Yardrow----------------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Rapha [guest], 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Marach, Summoner (female) x2, Ninja (male) x3



ENEMY: Marach [Gemini] - lv 23 Netherseer - Bravery 69, Faith 31

Equipment : Gokuu Pole, Headband, random armor, random accessory

Abilities : Nether Mantra, random 2nd action ability, random Squire abilities



--STRATEGY--

This is another protect-the-guest battle, so deploy somebody with healing

abilities or you're toast. In fact, bringing two might not be a bad idea!



Move a character into the gateway to block it prevent the enemies from going

after Rapha. At the start of the battle, one of the Ninjas will probably give

himself an unfair height advantage by climbing up on the roof and throwing

weapons at you. Use guns or magick to take him out quickly. You could also

equip the Thief ability Sticky Fingers, which will let you catch whatever the

ninja throws at you, but it's probably not worth giving up your regular

Reaction Ability for.



The Ninjas here can hit really hard since they get two attacks. Make them your

first target, and stay out of hand-to-hand range when possible. Even at a

distance, the Ninjas can still Throw weapons at you, but this attack isn't

nearly as strong. As at Grogh Heights, the gate into the city is a bit of a

choke point, which means it's a great opportunity to fire some Divine

Ruinations and hit several enemies at once.



If you've got anybody with an attack that can go through the wall (i.e., magick

or some monster skills), you can try to kill the Summoners that way. The

enemies start pretty bunched up inside, so this can be a good way of attacking

more than one enemy at a time. Otherwise you'll have to go through the Ninjas

at the gate. As usual, watch what areas the Summoners are targeting so you can

try to keep your team split up and out of the way.



Watch out for Rapha's skills -- they target a 3x3 square of the map and hit

random tiles, making them as likely to hit you as the bad guys. (Marach's

skills do the same, which fortunately means he's pretty unlikely to

actually hit you ... and even if they do, they do very little damage.)



Although Marach teleports away when you defeat him, you must defeat ALL the

enemies to win here. Since Marach is really the least threatening guy here,

save him for last.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 2000 gil, Yagyu Darkrood, Holy Water





---Battle 30: Zeltennia Castle-------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Delita, Ovelia [guest]

ENEMY FORCES: Ninja (male) x1, Ninja (female) x1



--STRATEGY--

It's just Delita and Ovelia against two Ninjas. This should be a cinch;

although the Ninjas can hit hard, Delita and Ovelia have enough HP to survive

a few attacks, and one Holy Sword technique should be enough to take out each

ninja.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 31: The Yuguewood----------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Rapha [guest], 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Black Mage (male, undead) x2, Time Mage (female, undead) x2,

Ghoul x1, Ghast x1, Revenant x1



--STRATEGY--

Every enemy here is undead, including the humans. After you KO them, when

their counter runs out, they may REVIVE instead of turning into a crystal!

This means that, after you KO the first enemy, you have to hustle to finish off

the rest before the first ones start reviving again.



Fortunately, there's an easier way. Just use Mustadio's Seal Evil skill, which

turns any undead enemy into stone and prevents them from resurrecting :) (plus

it almost always hits!) You can also handle the three ghost monsters by

Poaching them; a Poached monster disappears from the map and hence can't be

revived.



Since the enemies are undead, Cure spells and other healing abilities (e.g.

Raise and items) will do quite a bit of damage to them while simultaneously

healing any nearby allies. You can even strike them with the Healing Staff!

Summon spells also work well, as the enemies are usually packed together. The

two Black Mages are your toughest opponents, so take them out first. The Time

Mages are a bit of a pain too, since they can cast Slow or Immobilize on you.

You can prevent the former by equipping Diamond Bracelets and the later by

equipping Guardian Bracelets. For your close-range fighters, defense against

Immobilize is the most important, but for your gunners and magick users, being

Immobilized may not be such a problem. They have enough range that they can

still attack even if they're rooted in one spot, so you might be better off

giving them Diamond Bracelets instead.



Rapha is just an "ordinary" guest here, so it doesn't matter if she gets KOed.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Phoenix Down x2





---Battle 32: Riovanes Castle Gate---------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza, Rapha [guest], 1 other

2nd Squad - 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Marach, Knight (male) x3, Archer (female) x3



ENEMY: Marach [Gemini] - lv 24 Netherseer - Bravery 69, Faith 31

Equipment : Gokuu Pole, Headband, random armor, random accessory

Abilities : Nether Mantra, random 2nd action ability, random Squire abilities



--STRATEGY--

Deploy another fast character with Ramza, but make sure both are well-armored.

You'll want the two of them to break through to the enemy back line quickly and

take out the Archers. The second squad starts further from the battle, but

they can bring up the rear and keep fighting the Knights.



You'll face a constain rain of arrows from the enemy Archers atop the gates, so

equipping Archer's Bane on as many characters as possible will be a big help.

The Golem summon is also quite helpful if you have it; cast it at the beginning

of the battle and it will temporarily absorb some of the physical damage you

receive. The Mystic ability Defense Boost would also be helpful here, as would

the Protect spell or the Kiyomori Iaido (which casts Protect). Equipping

shields and capes will also boost your evade rate.



Rafa is here as a guest and Marach as an enemy. If EITHER of them is reduced

to critical HP, they will BOTH teleport away. You want to be rid of them;

Marach's pole attack is reasonably strong, and he tends to block your route up

to the Archers. So, a simple strategy is to de-equip all of Rafa's armor

before the battle and then take her out with one attack. This will get Marach

out of the way and let you get to the Archers more easily.



Take out the enemy Knight on the bridge to keep him from blocking your path,

then start hurrying up the steps. You want to get to the enemy Archers as

quickly as possible. (If you have the Dragoon ability Ignore Elevation or the

Time Mage ability Teleport, this is easy-peasy, of course; you can just jump

right up from the drawbridge.) Spells that you can fire at them from a few

tiles away will be helpful. If you have Arithmeticks, that will be helpful as

well. Finally, you could also try riding a Black Chocobo up to the top of the

gate; this strategy would be best combined with the Golem spell to prevent the

Chocobo from being shot to death by the Archers.



Keep your close-range fighters in the rear so they can fend off the enemy

Knights as they approach. Since the enemy Knights have a fairly high evade

rate, Concentration may also be useful; alternately, you can just attack them

with Agrias's Holy Sword techniques, as they never miss. If you keep killing

off one of the Knights, the other ones may keep bringing him back with Phoenix

Down, thus wasting their turns. As long as you stay on level ground, the

Monk's Revive ability will be useful in bringing back your dead guys. Once the

Archers are dead, you can have all your characters mop up the remaining

Knights.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Elven Cloak, Hi-Potion, X-Potion





---Battle 33: Riovanes Castle Keep---------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

PHASE ONE: Ramza

PHASE TWO:

1st Squad - Ramza, 1 other

2nd Squad - 3 others

ENEMY FORCES:

PHASE ONE: Wiegraf

PHASE TWO: Belias [Gigas; Virgo], Archaeodaemon x3



BOSS: Wiegraf [Virgo] - lv 28 White Knight - Bravery 71, Faith 64

Equipment : Diamond Sword, Diamond Shield, Diamond Helm, Diamond Armor,

Diamond Bracelet

Abilities : Holy Sword, Martial Arts, Counter, Safeguard, Move +1



--STRATEGY--

Wiegraf has a fearsome reputation, in part because you're now stuck in Riovanes

Castle if you don't have another save to go back to. Your ease of beating him

will really depend on abilities Ramza has -- he can be pretty easy with the

right abilities, or very tough if you're stuck inside without an ideal set of

abilities.



For his first form, you have just Ramza. The best tactic is to give him the

Auto-Potion ability and throw away all your Potions and Hi-Potions, so that

Ramza can use a X-Potion to heal himself whenever Wiegraf attacks him. (Auto-

Potion doesn't always activate, so if Ramza runs low on HP, you can also use an

X-Potion on yourself to heal.) Run from Wiegraf and keep using the Tailwind

ability to boost your speed. If you can, sucker Wiegraf into going into the

water and you'll be safe for a turn. Eventually (after you keep using

Tailwind), Ramza will get fast enough that he will get two turns in a row

frequently. Use these extra turns to get further away from Wiegraf (out of the

range of his Hallowed Bolt) and keep using Tailwind. You will reach a point

where you will not have to use all your moves to get out of Wiegraf's range.

Now instead of moving each turn, you can use Tailwind and then "Wait" to get

your next turn faster, allowing you to use Tailwind even more. Keep going

until Ramza's speed maxes out at 50. (You can check it by going to Status in

his menu.) Then start using Focus to build up your attack power. (If you

don't have Focus, give Ramza a gun instead.) After you've built up your

attack, just run up to Wiegraf and you can knock him out quickly.



If you don't have Auto-Potion, a fairly good substitute is the combination of

Mana Shield (Time Mage) and Chakra (Monk). Mana Shield will protect you by

diverting damage to Ramza's MP. Run from Wiegraf while using Chakra each turn;

since Chakra restores your MP, you'll keep up your Mana Shield. Even when Mana

Shield doesn't trigger, you should have enough HP to survive at least one hit,

and Chakra will keep restoring your HP afterwards. Whenever you get far enough

from Wiegraf that he can't attack you, use Tailwind. This tactic takes a

little longer than Auto-Potion because it requires you to navigate out of

Wiegraf's range, but it otherwise works the same.



If you don't have Auto-Potion or Mana Shield/Chakra available, you could try a

similar tactic but with some other ability to restore your HP, like Critical:

Recover HP, Regenerator, or Lifefont. Since these abilities don't restore

quite as much HP as Auto-Potion, it might be more difficult, but you could give

it a shot. If you have Auto-Potion but not Tailwind, you could also use Rend

Speed and Rend Power to weaken Wiegraf, though this won't help you in the next

stage of the battle.



If you can't use the heal & Tailwind strategy at all, you'll just have to

finish off Wiegraf quickly, before he can kill you. The Dragoon's Jump ability

may be useful for this, as it puts Ramza out of harm's way. If you need to use

physical attacks, equip Concentration or attack Wiegraf from behind so he can't

dodge. If you have a magick-oriented Ramza, you could try use strong Black

Magicks to finish Wiegraf in a single shot. Equipping the Hermes Shoes as an

accessory to boost Ramza's speed may also help you get the jump on him.

Finally, the Mystic's Defense Boost ability will reduce the damage Wiegraf can

do to you, while Mana Shield will give you an additional buffer of damage

before he kills you.



After Wiegraf drops to critical HP, he will disappear, only to return shortly

as Belias. Yup, it's not over yet. Your other characters will now show up,

but Wiegraf summons three Archaeodaemons. On his first turn, Belias will

start charging up a super-powerful Cyclops summon (200+ HP damage), and if

you survive that, he'll hit you with more summons. The trick here is that all

the speed and attack power bonuses from the first phase of the battle persist,

so if you used Tailwind/Focus, Ramza can run up to Belias and repeatedly attack

him with high-powered hits. You should be able to kill Belias before he gets

to cast Cyclops.



If Ramza isn't able to kill Belias on his own, or you couldn't use the Tailwind

and Focus strategy, you'll have to take down Belias with the rest of your team.

have your other allies start attacking Belias. You want to him as quickly as

possible, so range attacks (bows/guns) are good as they may not require you to

move. The Dragoon's Jump ability is also good since it takes you off the

screen where Belias can't kill you. Agrias should use her strongest sword

technique. Again, the Lich summon spell or the Time Magick Graviga do a lot of

damage to Belias, if you can get them off, and a strong Black Magick spell

could be useful too.



Ideally, you can take out Belias before he even casts Cyclops. If you can't

manage that, though, you may still be able to keep yourself alive long enough

to finish him off. Using the Jump attack may get some of your characters off

the screen when Cyclops fires and keep them alive. You can also try Silencing

Belias, either with the Mystic's Quiescence or Agrias's Hallowed Bolt. While

putting Silence on Belias will abort his initial Cyclops summon, he will still

be able to use his Petrify ability to turn you to stone, so this tactic works

best if you can pair it with Jade Armlets to protect yourself from Stone.

Finally, you could try using the Mystic's Disbelief magick to put the Atheist

status on your strongest fighter, which will make him/her immune to magick and

allow him to survive the initially Cyclops casting. Belias and his demons can

still kill you with physical attacks and petrification, so using Silence or

Atheist is just a stop-gap measure to keep a few characters alive long enough

to finish killing him.



Belias has about 1100 HP and as soon as you defeat him, the Archaeodaemons also

disappear.



These are, of course, the most extreme strategies for fighting Wiegraf/Belias.

If Ramza is pretty strong, you can take out Belias with fewer moves and

certainly don't need to spend as much time boosting yourself during the

first round. A sufficiently strong Ramza (say, as a Ninja with Brawler

and a Bracer equipped) attacking Wiegraf and Belias from behind could even

do enough damage to punch out both of them without needing any boosts at all.

The Jump attack can also be effective if Ramza has a high speed. But if you're

having trouble, the Auto-Potion/Tailwind strategy almost assures you of

victory.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 34: Riovanes Castle Roof---------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Rapha [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Elmdore, Celia, Lettie



BOSS: Elmdore [Gemini] - lv 33 Ark Knight - Bravery 70, Faith 70

Equipment : Muramasa, Black Cowl, Black Robe, Nu Khai Armband

Abilities : Sword Spirit, First Strike, Doublehand, Ignore Elevation



BOSS: Celia [Virgo] - lv 29 Assassin - Bravery 65, Faith 70

Equipment : Kiyomori x2, Black Cowl, Gaia Gear, Cachusha

Abilities : Subdual Arts, random action ability, random Squire abilities,

Move+1



BOSS: Lettie [Sagittarius] - lv 28 Assassin - Bravery 65, Faith 70

Equipment : Spellbinder x2, Black Cowl, Power Garb, Barette

Abilities : Subdual Arts, random action ability, random Squire abilities,

Move+1



--STRATEGY--

This battle is always really short: either you win fast or you lose fast! All

you have to do to win is reduce any one of the enemies to critical HP to win.

Problem is, Rapha loves to make suicide ruins at the bad guys, and if she gets

KOed, you lose.



Ramza always starts in a fixed location, regardless of where you place him

on the deployment screen. Deploy your other characters towards the top of the

deployment screen -- this will start them closer to the battle.



If Ramza is fast enough (e.g. Ninja + Green Beret + Hermes Shoes), he can

move first and immediately rush to attack either Celia or Lettie, and you

should be fine. (Elmdore is not a good target; he can use First Strike to

turn your attack into one of his own.) If Ramza isn't this quick, it's

entirely possible that Rapha will be killed before you ever get to move. When

you do finally get a chance to move, HEAL RAPHA. Putting Disarm on Rapha (via

Mustadio's Arm Shot) as soon as you can will guarantee that she will flee the

battle and try to stay out of harm's way. You can also try casting a Cure

spell on an empty square within Rapha's move range. Rapha will move to the

square to receive the spell and thus you can lure her away from the Assassins.

Send as many characters up to the roof as you can; if nothing else, they can

serve as decoys to draw attacks away from Rapha.



Celia and Lettie use ridiculous Subdual Arts abilities on you that have a

100% chance of either casting Stop on you or dealing an Instant KO. You can

guard against the former by equipping Jade Armlets and the latter with

Jujitsu Gis or Chameleon Robes. Alma's Barette, if equipped on a female

character, will also protect against both Stop *and* KO.



Concentrate all your attacks on a single character, since as soon as any one of

them drops to critical HP, you win. If any of your own characters get KOed,

don't bother trying to revive them; you're better off continuing to attack and

ending the battle quickly. Luck plays a big role here, especially if you're

not fast enough to get the first move.



If you deploy Luso in his Game Hunter job, he can learn Ultima should Celia or

Lettie cast it on him. (Ramza can't learn it until Chapter IV, but if you have

Luso learn it here, he can cast it on Ramza once you reach Chapter IV to teach

it to Ramza.) If you're fully equipped with Jujitsu Gis and Jade Armlets

(preventing Celia and Lettie from using their Stop or KO attacks on you), they

will almost always cast Ultima on their turns. Move Luso in range of whomever

they target to make sure he gets hit with the spell. It's not easy to learn

here since Rapha is so vulnerable, so you're probably better off skipping it--

you'll have another, easier opportunity to learn it in Chapter IV.



It's also possible to steal the Cachusha accessory from Celia and a Barette

from Lettie. Neither of these items is sold in stores, but, again, you do

also have other, easier methods for acquiring them, so it's probably not worth

bothering with them here.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





%%%CHAPTER IV: IN THE NAME OF LOVE%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00bs4



---Battle 35: Dugeura Pass-----------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Knight (male) x1, Archer (male) x1, Black Mage (male) x2,

Dragoon (male) x2



--STRATEGY--

There's not a whole lot to say about this fight, because there's nothing here

you haven't seen before. Send one or two characters up to the top of the pass

while your other guys fight the main group of enemies. The Black Mages are

probably the most dangerous enemies here since their spells can do a lot of

damage. Hit them with Disable, Silence, or just move quickly across the

battlefield to take them out.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 3000 gil, Diamond Armor





---Battle 36: Bervenia---------------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others

2nd Squad - 2 others

ENEMY FORCES: Meliadoul, Archer (female) x2, Summoner (female) x2,

Ninja (female) x1



BOSS: Meliadoul [Capricorn] - lv 35 Divine Knight - Bravery 67, Faith 68

Equipment: Defender, Platinum Shield, Platinum Helm, Carabineer Mail, Chantage

Abilities: Unyielding Blade, random action ability, random Squire abilities



--STRATEGY--

An enemy Ninja will immediately move down to attack the second squad. Deploy a

reasonably strong fighter in the front line of the second squad so you can take

her out quickly. (Again, you could also use Sticky Fingers to guard against

the Ninja's initial Throw attack, but it's not really worth a Reaction Ability

slot as there's only a single Ninja and you can take her out quickly.) Placing

your slower characters in the first squad is a good idea as they start closer

to the bulk of the battle.



In general, Dragoons are quite helpful on this level, since there are steep

building walls--Jump and Ignore Elevation (if you have it) will let you attack

enemies at a higher level. Teleport will serve the same function as well.

Since there are enemy Archers at the very top raining arrows down on you,

Archer's Bane or shields/capes may be helpful. Deploy fast and/or shooting

characters in the second squad, and fighters in the first squad.



While it's tempting to rush the enemies here, you don't want to scale the city

TOO quickly, or you may get surrounded and cut off from your healing.

Additionally, if you don't go up too fast, you can probably lure Meliadoul

down into the town area. This is really beneficial for two reasons: it leaves

you clear to jump up and KO the Summoners and Archers, and isolating Meliadoul

will make it easier to attack (and steal from) her.



It's probably a good idea to attack the Summoners first, since their spells can

do a lot of damage. Be careful about taking out the Summoner on the left side

of the map, though. The crate there is needed for less agile characters to

climb up the city ramparts, and if you KO her while she's standing on the box,

it can obstruct the route up, making it slow going for some characters.



Meliadoul uses Crush skills that will shatter your equipment and do quite a

bit of damage. Equipping the Chemist ability Safeguard will protect against

this (especially important if you've got rare gear you don't want to lose), as

well as rendering you immune to the HP-damaging part of the skills as well!

So, equip this ability on as many character as possible.



Meliadoul also has the Defender knight's sword and Chantage, an accessory that

gives her a permanent Regen and Reraise. While you don't have to worry about

the Reraise, as KOing Meliadoul will end the battle, this is a GREAT accessory

to steal. The Defender is nice too. To steal from her, first try increasing

your success by raising your Speed (e.g. with Tailwind) or lowering Meliadoul's

(with Rend Speed). The support abilities Concentration or Brawler will also

improve your chance of stealing, as will targeting her from the side or behind

or using Arm Shot to Disable her (although both of these are redundant with

Concentration). Putting Meliadoul to Sleep with Mimic Darlavon (Orator) or

Repose (Mystic) will also improve your chances to steal, but be warned -- if

you steal her weapon when she's asleep, she may still use her Crush skills when

she wakes up due to an apparent bug in the game. Finally, since Meliadoul is a

Capricorn, you'll have better luck stealing with a Taurus, Virgo, or male

Cancer, and poorer chances stealing withan Aries, Libra, or female Cancer.



It may take a lot of stealing attempts before you succeed, so if you're serious

about stealing, wipe out the other enemies first. (The Chantage is worth the

effort!) If you're planning on stealing both the Defender and Chantage, swipe

the Defender first as this reduces her attack power and prevents her from using

her Crush skills (unless you steal it while she's asleep).



If you don't care to steal, or once you've gotten the goods, you can just

rush Meliadoul. Spread your characters out to avoid taking too much damage

from the summon spells.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Jade Armlet, Remedy x2





---Battle 37: Finnath Creek----------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others

2nd Squad - 2 others

ENEMY FORCES: Random chocobos and pigs



--STRATEGY--

When deploying characters, don't put anybody on the solitary square in the

second squad; it's in the middle of the water.



On this level, you'll face a random assortment of chocobos and possibly some

Pigs. You may want to bring an Orator because if a Pig shows up, it's

definitely worth recruiting. Although it's no good in a battle, you can use it

to breed the various pig-class monsters, all of which can be poached for great

items.



This battle can be annoying because the regular yellow Chocobos will keep using

Choco Cure to heal themselves. One strategy is to just use attacks that will

defeat the Chocobos outright by turning them to stone or instantly KOing them

-- then it doesn't matter how much HP they have! If you have Beowulf, his

Break attacks works great; you could use the Black Mage's Death or the Mystic's

Induration. Agrias's Northswain's Strike occasionally does an instant KO too,

but fairly infrequently.



If you don't have any petrification or instant-KO attacks, the best strategy is

to concentrate on one Chocobo at a time. Since the Red Chocobos will bombard

you with Choco Meteor for fairly big damage, you'll probably want to kill them

first. (Red Chocobos also make good targets for poaching; you may receive a

Barette from them.)



As annoying as the Choco Cures can be, this level still shouldn't be too

difficult. The Ninja ability Waterwalking, the Feather Boots, and the Time

Mage ability Levitate will all make it easier to navigate the watery terrain

here.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 38: Outlying Church--------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Zalmour, Knight (male) x3, Mystic (male) x2



BOSS: Zalmour [Sagittarius] - lv 35 Celebrant - Bravery 54, Faith 78

Equipment : Wizard's Rod, Celebrant's Miter, White Robe, Elven Cloak

Abilities : Priest Magicks, random action ability, random Squire abilities



--STRATEGY--

Delita teams up with Ramza as a guest in this battle, and his Holy Sword

techniques are even stronger than Agrias's.



Even without Delita, though, this would be a pretty easy fight. Zalmour is up

on top of the bell tower, but the platform where he's standing is almost

directly overhead from where you start. This means you can target him with

offensive magick and sword techniques without needing to move, and his Knights

can't even stop you. If you have Ignore Elevation, Teleport, Fly, or a Black

Chocobo, you can also jump up to Zalmour's platform and attack him directly.

As soon as you KO Zalmour, the battle ends, so you can probably finish this one

off really quickly. (If you position your characters towards the right side of

the character deployment screen, you'll start even closer to Zalmour.) Zalmour

doesn't have anything worth stealing, either, so just thrash him and move on.



Zalmour's habit is to stand atop the church and uses Curaga to heal his

followers. Again, you can stop his Curagas by putting Silence on him from the

ground where you start; use the Mystic's Quiescene or Beowulf's Silence (if you

already have him on your team). Another trick is to stand next to the enemies

that Zalmour is going to cast Curaga on for free healing.



If you don't have any abilities that will let you attack Zalmour from the

ground, you'll have to move around to the side of the church and climb up that

way. Even taking this route, though, this is an easy battle. Delita can take

out the enemy Knights quickly with his sword techniques. Just be sure not to

stand between Delita and the enemies or YOU'LL get hit too when he uses Divine

Ruination! A Jump attack with high vertical range can be useful for attacking

enemies on higher levels, but it's far from critical--Delita can pretty much

kill all the enemies on his own!



BATTLE TROPHIES: Angel Ring





---Battle 39: Beddha Sandwaste-------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Barich, Knight (male) x2, Archer (male) x2, Black Mage (male) x2



BOSS: Barich [Sagittarius] - lv 35 Machinist - Bravery 64, Faith 62

Equipment : Glacial Gun, Lambent Hat, Luminous Robe, Nu Khai Armband

Abilities : Aimed Shot, random action ability, random Squire abilities



--STRATEGY--

You start this battle with all your characters poisoned, even if you equip

accessories guarding against poison! Bringing somebody with the Esuna spell

may be helpful to de-poison yourself quickly. You can also use the Lifefont

ability, Chantage accessory, or Dragonheart ability to offset the HP losses

from the poison.



Barich has all of Mustadio's abilities, which means he can easily Immobilize

or Disable you. Esuna or the Monk ability Purification will also clear these

up, though Remedies will NOT. (Purification is especially effective since it

activates immediately and has a good hit rate.) Barich also has a Glacial Gun,

which shoots ice spells at you. Equipping White Robes here is a good idea, as

it will reduce the damage from the Glacial Gun and the Black Mage in the back.

Ice Shields would render you completely immune to the Glacial Gun ... but if

you're immune, Barich will just use Arm Shot and Leg Shot instead, which is

WORSE, so that's probably a bad strategy.



Since the battle ends when Barich is KOed, the best tactic is probably just to

rush him. Barich often tends to retreat into the back of the battlefield,

though, so throw an Immobilize of your own on him (e.g. with Leg Shot) as soon

as you can to keep him in place. (Slow or Stop will also work.) Then pound on

him; you have to reduce him all the way to 0 HP before the battle ends.



There's a Black Mage in the back casting powerful -ja spells at you. Equipping

Aegis Shields and White Robes may be a good idea to protect against his spells.

Or, use Magick Counter to give him back what you're getting.



You may also want to try stealing from Barich. This is your first chance to

snag a Glacial Gun, which can't be bought in stores, though you'll find them

later. Barich's Lambent Hat and Luminous Robe are also nice, but you'll be

able to buy them shortly in stores. Stealing the Glacial Gun takes away his

range attack, but he can still Immobilize and Disable you at close range with

his punches. As with Meliadoul, pumping up your Speed or equipping Martial

Arts and Concentration will improve your stealing success rate, as will

Disabling Barich and/or putting him to Sleep.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 5000 gil





---Battle 40: Fort Besselat - South Wall---------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Knight (male) x3, Archer (male) x2, Thief (male) x1,

Ninja (male) x1



--STRATEGY--

Leave behind the magic-users behind unless they have Equip Heavy Armor or some

good defensive abilities; they'll get killed easily.



Split up your characters and attack the side walls on each side. Get up on top

as soon as you can; it's very advantageous position. This works especially

well if you've got archers or gunners -- station them atop the walls, don't

move (so their CT gauge fills faster), and just shoot at the enemies. Watch

out for the Thief, who might -- take



Don't worry about the Knights initially. You should be able to get up on top

of the walls before the Knights can reach you, and once you're up there, you've

got a definite height advantage in taking them out.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Circlet





---Battle 40: Fort Besselat - North Wall---------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Monk (male) x1, Archer (male) x2, Summoner (male) x1,

Dragoon (male) x2



--STRATEGY--

There are high walls on this level, which can make it tricky to navigate if you

don't have characters with a high Jump statistic. Characters who can't jump

directly over the first wall will have to cross one-by-one using the "box" in

front of it. This can be time-consuming, especially when you're suffering the

summons and arrows of the enemy forces. (Archer's Bane is, of course, helpful

in defending against the latter.)



In particular, there's a Summoner tucked away behind the first wall who will

bombard you with some nasty summons (like Leviathan). Get a character over

the initial wall ASAP to take him out. Even if you can just weaken him to

critical HP, he'll probably start casting Faerie to heal himself instead of

attacking you. You can also try Arithmeticks as a way of attacking enemies on

the far side of the wall.



A lone Monk starts out on the ground near you. If you can get your party over

the wall quickly, you can postpone having to deal with him. Otherwise, you'll

have to take out him quickly so he's not attacking your back. (Or, just throw

an Immobilize on him so he can't catch up with you.)



Once the Summoner is taken out, you can split up your characters. Have the

ones who can easily scale heights climb up the tower to take out the Archers,

while the others finish up the Dragoons on the ground.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Carabineer Mail





---Battle 41: Fort Besselat Sluice---------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others

2nd Squad - 2 others

ENEMY FORCES: Knight (male) x4, Black Mage (male) x2, Archer (male) x2



--STRATEGY--

Split up your characters and go up the paths. Because the enemies have such a

height advantage, guns are not so good here; it's hard to get a clear shot.

Jump attacks, on the other hand, are quite useful. A fun trick to do is stand

on the steps or below the dam wall and use Jump attacks on the stationary

Knights. As long as none of your other characters gets close to them, the

Knights won't move and will just sit there while you Jump on them. The Black

Mages have some strong spells, so you may want to target them first, though.



Since two of the Knights are pretty stationary, this is a good chance to let

the other KOed enemies decay into crystals/chests for loot (and additional

kills, if you're trying to unlock the Dark Knight job). You could even bring

a weaker character or two and attack and heal each other to build up EXP or

JP, if you want (though it's hardly necessary).



Unlike the PSone version, you don't need to do anything with any switches to

clear this level. Just take out all the enemies and the battle ends.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 42: Mount Germinas---------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others

2nd Squad - 2 others

ENEMY FORCES: Archer (male) x3, Thief (male) x2, Ninja (male) x1



--STRATEGY--

This is the first time you get to use your new buddy Orlandeau. For a good

taste of his power, deploy him in squad 1. Move him up the mountain as far

as he can and then use Shadowblade on the Ninja leader. Bang, he's dead. You

almost have to feel sorry for the poor bandits... almost. Heh, heh. With

Shadowblade you can KO a fully healthy bad guy each turn just with Orlandeau

and also refill Orlandeau's own HP by 270 or so.



There are a pair of thieves in this battle, so either take them out quickly

or equip Safeguard to keep them from nabbing your stuff. You don't want to

lose any rare items to them!



The Archer that starts in the back corner is carrying an Artemis Bow, a strong

bow, which you might want to steal. But if you don't, there's plenty more (in

fact, an infinite supply from random battles) that you can get later. If you

DO want to steal the bow, a good strategy for it is to kill off all the other

enemies and then surround the Archers with your characters, blocking him from

moving. Since bows can't be used against adjacent tiles, he can't attack you,

and you can just stand there and attempt steals 'til you get the bow.



This map also contains the Invisibility Cloak, although it's not necessary to

claim it now. To get the cloak, put the Treasure Hunter ability and move to

the very top of the peak. The top of the peak forms sort of an "L" shape; the

tile holding the Cloak is the one between the two "legs" of the L:

___

/

/ X

--/ --

When you land on this tile, you'll receive either an Ether or the Cloak; your

chance of getting the Cloak goes up the lower your Bravery. (You only get to

pick up the item once, so if you get the Ether, you can no longer get the

Cloak; you'll have to reset the game and try again.) You can also pick up the

cloak in any random battles at this location, though, so it's by no means

necessary to acquire it during the story battle.



BATTLE TROPHIES: 7700 gil, Winged Boots, Germinas Boots





---Battle 43: Lake Poescas-----------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Archer (male, undead) x2, Mystic (male, undead) x1,

Summoner (female, undead) x1, Revenant x2



--STRATEGY--

This is a really easy battle. Use Mustadio and/or Balthier's Seal Evil ability

and you can gun down each of the Revenants in one shot. (You can also use cure

spells against them, as always.) Magick and Dragoons will also be helpful for

attacking the enemies atop the wooden platform. They're undead, too, so you

can use Seal Evil on them as well.



Once you get on top of the platform, watch out for the enemy's Counter Tackles.

They can knock your characters off the platform, which will put you back out of

range AND do a fair amount of damage. Just stay away from the edge and you

should be fine. (You can check which enemy units do and don't have Counter

Tackle by viewing their status screen.



The only thing tricky about this level is that the undead humans will keep

coming back to life if you don't finish off the rest of the enemy party in

time--but, again, Seal Evil will prevent this.



Both the archers have Artemis Bows if you're in the mood for a little stealing.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Phoenix Down x2





---Battle 44: Limberry Castle Gate---------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Celia, Lettie, Reaver x4



BOSS: Celia [Virgo] - lv 38 Assassin - Bravery 65, Faith 70

Equipment : Kiku-ichimonji x2, Lambent Hat, Black Garb, random accessory

Abilities : Subdual Arts, random or no action ability, random Squire

abilities,Move +1



BOSS: Lettie [Sagittarius] - lv 37 Assassin - Bravery 65, 70

Equipment : Spellbinder x2, Gold Hairpin, Black Garb, random accessory

Abilities : Subdual Arts, random or no action ability, random Squire

abilities, Move +1



--STRATEGY--

This battle looks hard at first, but it's not. All you have to do is weaken

Celia or Lettie to critical HP and the battle will immediately end.



The Reavers will only use Bio spells, which don't do all that much damage, so

your main threat is Celia and Lettie. Their Subdual Arts skills can hit with

you a 100% KO or Stop, and they also have a 100% Charm against male characters.

The Charm is the worst of these since it turns your characters actively against

the rest of your team, so give your male characters Nu Khai Armbands to

immunize them, or just deploy all female characters. Pairing a Jujitsu Gi with

a Jade Armlet will protect you against both KO and Stop; if you have Barettes

or Ribbons, you can use those too. If you have Construct 8 on your roster,

it's completely immune to status changes and is quite useful here.



Because this battle is fairly easy, it's your best chance to learn Ultima. You

can learn this spell if Ramza is a Squire or Luso is a Game Hunter and Celia or

Lettie casts the spell on him. If Ramza is protected against KO and Stop

(from equipping a Jujitsu Gi and a Jade Armlet), Celia is almost guaranteed to

cast the spell on him on her first round.



Once you get Ultima, just have your main group gang up on Lettie to quickly end

the battle. A few sword techniques and/or Construct 8's Dispose should do the

trick. You can completely ignore the Reavers. Since this battle is so easy to

end quickly, your best defense is a good offense. Even if one or two allies

gets KOed, don't bother reviving them. (Since Ramza starts stranded from your

main team, it's pretty likely that he will be KOed.) Just finish off Lettie

and you'll be done in no time at all.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Echo Herbs





---Battle 45: Limberry Castle Keep---------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Elmdore, Celia, Lettie



BOSS: Elmdore [Gemini] - lv 41 Ark Knight - Bravery 70, Faith 70

Equipment : Masamune, Genji Shield, Genji Helm, Genji Armor, Genji Glove

Abilities*: Sword Spirit, Vampire, Shirahadori, Brawler, Master Teleportation

* Elmdore's Ark Knight job also includes Safeguard as an innate ability.



ENEMY: Celia [Virgo] - lv 39 Assassin - Bravery 65, Faith 70

Abilities : Subdual Arts, Throw, random Squire abilities, Move +1

Equipment : Kiku-ichimonji x2, Lambent Hat, Black Garb, random accessory



ENEMY: Lettie [Sagittarius] - lv 38 Assassin - Bravery 65, Faith 70

Abilities : Subdual Arts, Throw, random Squire abilities, Move +1

Equipment : Spellbinder x2, Lambent Hat, Black Garb, random accessory



--STRATEGY--

It's just your team versus Elmdore, Celia, and Lettie. Celia and Lettie have

the same abilities as before. As long as you're equipped with Jujitsu Gis and

Jade Armlets (or other equipment that protects you against KO/Stop), they'll

mostly just do Ultima, which isn't too bad. If you "kill" either of them, they

will turn into Ultima Demons, which are stronger, so leave them be.



Elmdore is even tougher than his underlings; he has an 100% working teleport to

any square and does big damage to a wide area with his Muramasa Iaido. Worse,

he has Shirahadori, which gives him a high evade rate against a wide range of

physical attacks, even guns.



First, spread out your characters to try to minimize how much his Iaido can

hurt your team. (While Construct 8 is immune to Faith-based magick, Iaido

doesn't use Faith, so Muramasa *will* hurt your robot pal.) Then, attack

Elmdore with things he *can't* dodge. Sword techniques are great, as is

Construct 8's Dispose, if you have him. You can also use Magick and

Arithmeticks, or, in a pinch, a Dual Wielded attack, since he can only block

one of the hits. Other physical attacks are nearly useless.



Also, whenever Celia or Lettie starts casting Ultima, have the targeted

character stand next to Elmdore. (Check the Turn List in case you didn't catch

who the target is.) This will cause the Ultima to spill over and hit Elmdore

for a fair amount of damage (100-200 HP), a nice way of getting in some extra

damage against him.



You need only reduce Elmdore to critical HP to end the battle.



If you didn't learn Ultima during the prior battle, you can also learn it here.



Note: In the North American PSone release, you could steal all of Elmdore's

powerful Genji equipment. This is no longer possible (you can't steal from

him at all), so don't even try!



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 46: Limberry Castle Inner Court--------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Argath, Ultima Demon x5



BOSS: Argath [Virgo] - lv 40 Deathknight - Bravery 78, Faith 25

Equipment : Runeblade, Crystal Shield, Crystal Helm, Mirror Mail,

Diamond Bracelet

Abilities : Fell Sword, Arts of War, Critical: Recover HP, Safeguard,

Ignore Elevation



--STRATEGY--

Argath himself can't do much damage, but his Ultima Demons can cast some really

powerful magic. Especially Argath takes a while to wear down, you'll need to

take out the Demons first. Fortunately, they're pretty slow and don't have

much HP, so chances are good you can take out one or two before they can even

move. The large gap in the middle of the stage can make it hard to reach the

Ultima Demons in the rear, so either bring characters with Teleport/Ignore

Elevation or just use a variety of long-range attacks (guns, Arithmeticks,

Summons, Jump, Dispose, etc.) If you're still missing the Ultima spell, you

can also learn it by having the Ultima Demons cast it on you, though they don't

use it as frequently as Celia and Lettie.



Once you've finished off all the demons, you can attack Argath. He comes

equipped with Mirror Mail, which reflects most magick. (The -ja Black Magick

spells, Ultima, Meteor, and summons all still work, though.) He also has

Safeguard, so Orlandeau's Crush skills won't work against him, but other sword

skills will. Fortunately, Argath's own attacks are quite weak, but his

constant use of Shadowblade keeps healing him. As long as your whole team is

attacking him, though, you'll be able to deal way more damage than he can

recover.



The really aggravating part is Argath's Critical: Recover HP reaction ability,

which has a chance of completely restoring his HP when you reduce his HP to

critical. (And since he has a fairly high Bravery stat, it's likely to

trigger!)



Fortunately, there's also an easy way to stop this. Just having Mustadio or

Balthier keep using Arm Shot on him until you put Disable on him. (Beowulf's

Disable also works ... the Mystic Art Hesitation does *not*, since the Mirror

Mail will reflect it.) Being Disabled will prevent him from using his reaction

ability (as well as from restoring his HP with Shadowblade), and you can easily

pound him into oblivion before Disable wears off.



If for some reason this isn't an option (e.g. none of Mustadio, Balthier, and

Beowulf is in your party), your best bet is to reduce his HP fairly low (to

about 100 or so) but not yet put him in Critical status. Then, use one very

strong attack against him (e.g., an Orlandeau sword technique) to KO him

without ever putting him in critical status.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 47: Limberry Castle Undercroft---------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Meliadoul [guest], 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Zalera [Death Seraph; Gemini], Knight (undead, male) x2,

Skeleton x1, Bonesnatch x1, Skeletal Fiend x1



--STRATEGY--

Deploy Mustadio and/or Balthier and use Seal Evil to quickly petrify the two

undead Knights. The various skeletons are not really worth bothering with;

Meliadoul can take them out. Just go after Zalera.



Zalera's main attack is Nightmare, which inflicts Sleep and Doom on a small

group of people. Equipping Protect Rings will guard against both of these.

Zalera also likes to use Bind (causes Stop on a small group) and Flareja, a

strong attack spell. One strategy here is to leave one character vulnerable to

Sleep to sucker Zalera into casting Nightmare. If you then wake the character

up (use Purification or a weak attack), Zalera will probably just keep casting

Nightmare over and over. Construct 8 is also quite useful here since it is

inherently immune to Stop, Sleep, and magick.



Attack Zalera with Lich, Divine Ruination, Graviga, Shadowblade, and Beowulf's

Drain. He has about 1100 HP.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 48 (optional): Dorter------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Meliadoul [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Cletienne, Black Mage (female) x1, Time Mage (female) x1,

Summoner (female) x2



BOSS: Cletienne [Gemini] - lv 40 Sorceror - Bravery 51, Faith 81

Equipment : Dragon Rod, Gold Hairpin, Gaia Gear, Elven Cloak

Abilities : Magicks, Magick Counter, Arcane Defense, Ignore Elevation



--STRATEGY--

This is the same battlefield as you saw at the beginning of Chapter II. The

enemies here are all magick-users, so there's no value in reaction abilities or

armor that defend against physical attacks (e.g. Counter or Shirahadori).

Instead, equip Aegis Shields, which have a high magick block rate, and

abilities like Magick Counter. And, if you have Construct 8, it's basically

invulnerable in this battle since it's immune to magic.



You'll probably want to take out the Summoners first; they're close by and

you'll want to stop them from hitting you with Summons. The Time Mages, on the

other hand, can be ignored.



Cletienne has an array of strong offensive and defensive spells, plus he can

use Magick Counter to throw your spells back at him. If you want to avoid

this, Guns and Jump may be your best bets for attacking him up on the roof.

(Magical guns, however, count as magick attacks that he can Magick Counter.)

You could also use Orlandeau's Duskblade or another MP-draining ability to

steal Cletienne's MP so he can't even use magicks. But since he has little HP,

it's probably just as easy to attack him head-on. As soon as he's KOed, you

win the battle.



Cletienne has a Dragon Rod, a rare-ish rod, that you can steal. You needn't

get it here, though, as you can also steal one a few battles later or poach it.

Plus, the Dragon Rod is pretty crummy anyway.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 49: Eagrose Castle Keep----------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1ST PHASE: Ramza, Zalbaag [guest], 4 others

2ND PHASE: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES:

1ST PHASE: Dycedarg, Knight (male) x5

2ND PHASE: Adrammelech [The Wroth; Scorpio]



BOSS: Dycedarg [Scorpio] - lv 43 Rune Knight - Bravery 66, Faith 77

Equipment : Defender, Aegis Shield, Circlet, Carabineer Mail, Power Gauntlet

Abilities : Swordplay, Magicks, Sticky Fingers, Defend, Move +1



--STRATEGY--

Equipping Nu Khai Armbands before this battle is a good idea.



Use Agrias's, Orlandeau's, and Meliadoul's sword techniques to hit Dycedarg

from down below. (Construct 8's Dispose is also useful, but you may not want

to deploy it here since there's no way to protect it against Confuse.) In

particular, hitting Dycedarg with Crush Weapon will break his Defender sword

and prevent him from using any of his sword techniques against you. (You could

also try stealing the Defender if you want, but it's a little tricky -- using

Ignore Elevation or Teleport to jump up to the top of the arch may be your best

bet.)



It's quite likely that you can finish off Dycedarg before he has a chance to

move much of anywhere, but it's possible he'll start descending the stairs. If

he does, run under the arch and keep attacking him. He likes to use Hallowed

Bolt and Divine Ruination (if you haven't yet broken his sword); to avoid

these, don't put characters next to each other or on the same line of fire.



Zalbaag is likely to get KOed either way, but it doesn't matter as you don't

need to keep him alive. The enemy Knights can be safely ignored.



When Dycedarg is KOed, he'll return as Adrammelech. Everyone else will

disappear from the board (including Zalbaag), and the battle restarts. If

Adrammelech is still up on the arch, you can keep attacking him with sword

techniques, but after a character attacks, start moving your characters under

the archway so that you can keep hitting Adrammelech once he starts coming down

the steps.



Adrammelech uses the Befuddle spell to confuse you, but if you equipped Nu Khai

Armbands, you'll be immune to this. Note that Confuse is one of the few status

conditions that Construct 8 is NOT immune to. In fact, there's no way to

protect it from confusion, so you probably won't want to use it here.

Adrammelech is pretty slow, so you can probably get in quite a few licks--and

maybe even kill him--before he even has a chance to cast a spell. Like all

Lucavi, Adrammelech will take a lot of damage from Lich or Graviga since they

take away half his maximum HP. He has 1500 HP.



If you want, there are two rare items you can pick up here using Treasure

Hunter. A Blood Sword is located in the rectangular area where you start, but

in the corner furthest from your starting point. This one's pretty easy to get

to. There's also a Healing Staff that's much harder to reach; it's one of the

two "nubs" next to the bridge on the upper level, with a height of 10. Of the

two nubs, it's the one further from where you start. This one is pretty tricky

to reach since you have to climb up all the stairs to get to it. As with other

rare Treasure Hunter items, having a low Bravery will improve your odds of

getting these items. You can pick the items up during either stage of the

battle. However, they're probably not worth bothering with -- you may already

have both items, and unlimited copies are available from poaching. The Blood

Sword can be worth grabbing if it's convenient; the Healing Staff is just way

out of the way.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 50: Mullonde Cathedral-----------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others

2nd Squad - 2 others

ENEMY FORCES: White Mage (male) x1, Summoner (male) x1, Orator (male) x2,

Geomancer (male) x2



--STRATEGY--

If you have anyone with Ignore Elevation or Teleport, deploy him or her in the

first squad and you can immediately spring up and attack the Summoner and White

Mage, who are the most annoying opponents. The rest of the squad will have to

climb up the steps.



The characters in the second squad will be battling against two Orators, so

giving them Earplug could be useful. Again, Teleport or Ignore Elevation will

help them get atop the church quickly, although the steps are reasonably close

by.



The Summoner has another Dragon Rod you can steal, if you didn't get one from

Cletienne and/or want a second one. But, again, it's not good for very much.



Honestly, this battle is pretty easy. It's noteworthy mostly because it's the

only story battle where the enemy has Geomancers :)



BATTLE TROPHIES: X-Potion





---Battle 51: Mullonde Cathedral Nave------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Folmarv, Loffrey, Cletienne



BOSS: Folmarv [Leo] - lv 46 Divine Knight - Bravery 65, Faith 70

Equipment : Runeblade, Crystal Shield/Helm/Armor, Elven Cloak

Abilities : Unyielding Blade, Counter, Defense Boost, Move +1



BOSS: Loffrey [Capricorn] - lv 45 Divine Knight - Bravery 60, Faith 68

Equipment : Icebrand, Platinum Shield/Helm/Armor, Diamond Bracelet

Abilities : Unyielding Blade, Nature's Wrath, Defense Boost, Jump +1



BOSS: Cletienne [Gemini] - lv 44 Sorceror - Bravery 51, Faith 81

Equipment : Dragon Rod, Gold Hairpin, Gaia Gear, Elven Cloak

Abilities : Magicks, Magick Counter, Arcane Defense, Ignore Elevation



--STRATEGY--

Despite what the victory conditions screen says, all you have to do here is

KO any of one of the three Knights Templar and then they all will retreat.

Cletinne is the weakest, so just attack him. Loffrey and Folmarv have an

annoying habit of breaking your equipment, so Safeguard is probably a good idea

-- it both saves your equipment AND prevents you from taking damage from

the Crush attacks. Since you only need to KO one guy here, you can probably

finish this up quite quickly.



If you deploy Meliadoul, there will be some extra dialogue between her and

Folmarv on her first turn.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 52: Mullonde Cathedral Sanctuary-------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Zalbaag, Archaeodaemon x2, Ultima Demon x1



BOSS: Zalbaag [Cancer] - lv 47 Ark Knight - Bravery 33, Faith 77

Equipment : Runeblade, Crystal Shield, Crystal Helm, Crystal Armor,

Germinas Boots

Abilities : Blade of Ruin, Vampire, Adrenaline Rush, Defense Boost, Lifefont



--STRATEGY--

The demons here are actually quite a bit more powerful than Zalbaag and use a

variety of strong magick attacks. So, unlike most boss battles, you're

probably better off killing at least two of the demons first, and *then* going

after Zalbaag. The Ultima Demon here is your last chance to learn Ultima; if

you haven't gotten it yet, deploy Ramza or Luso in their base job and you can

learn the spell should the Ultima Demon cast it on them.



Zalbaag frequently flees into a corner, plus he uses Lifefont to recover his

HP with each move. Hitting him with an Immobilize (e.g. from Leg Shot) will

stop both of these. In fact, if you can Immobilize him right away, you may be

able to just focus your attacks on him and finish him off before the demons

hit you with too magic. Physical attacks are not that effective against him

since he has Defense Boost, but he'll go down eventually ... and if you take

out the demons first, he can do very little to hurt you.



Zalbaag can (and probably will) turn your characters to vampires, but you can

cure this with Holy Water. Construct 8 is useful in this battle as it is

immune to vampirization (though the raw damage from the Vampire ability can

still hurt it) and has a very long range.



Ironically, if Zalbaag tries to vampirize a character who's already a vampire,

the Vampire attack will backfire and cause *Zalbaag* to turn into a vampire!

This will prevent him from recovering HP with Lifefont. But, the odds on this

are a bit too low to really bank on.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Elixir





---Battle 53: Monastery Vaults - Fourth Level----------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Knight (male) x3, Archer (male) x1, Monk (male) x2



--STRATEGY--

Your first priority is to kill off the guys down on the floor on the other side

of the room, especially the Monks. Most range attacks will work from atop the

central "ridge" of books, and reasonably agile melee fighters can climb over

the ridge to reach the enemies. Characters who can't easily climb over the

ridge should just stand atop it -- there will be enemies coming that way soon

as well.



The Knights' behavior will depend on how quickly you advance. If you quickly

moved most of your team across the ridge, they'll probably descend under the

archway to fight you there. But if you still have some characters on the

higher levels, they may try to cross the narrow walkway up top. In this case,

they'll vulnerable to a Divine Ruination or Shockwave that can hit several of

them in a line. Unyielding Blade techniques (Meliadoul and Orlandeau) are also

useful against all the enemies here. Overall, this isn't a particularly hard

battle.



You can steal Yoichi's Bow, which is even stronger than the Artemis Bow, from

the Archer ... of course, since you're past the point of no return, there's no

need to bother with this unless someone in your current team can use it.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 54: Monastery Vaults - Fifth Level-----------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Loffrey, Black Mage (male) x2, Time Mage (male) x1,

Summoner (male) x2



BOSS: Loffrey [Capricorn] - lv 54 Divine Knight - Bravery 60, Faith 68

Equipment : Save the Queen, Crystal Shield, Crystal Helm, Crystal Armor,

Germinas Boots

Abilities : Unyielding Blade, Magicks, Parry, Defense Boost, Ignore Elevation



--STRATEGY--

Now it gets interesting. The enemy forces are magick-heavy here, so adjust

your defenses accordingly -- Aegis Shields are good, as is Magick Counter and

cloaks that give a good boost to your magick evade rate. Counter, Shirahadori,

and First Strike are totally pointless. Construct 8, being immune to magick,

is good to deploy if you have it--it won't be able to navigate the holes well,

but Dispose has such a long range that it doesn't need to travel very far!



The floor is laded with holes (the black spots) that impede your movement. If

you have Fly or Winged Boots, however, you can simply hover right across them.

You can also jump across the holes with a good jump rating. If you can't jump

across, there's a looping path around the outsides of the map that lets you

walk all the way, but it's slow and you'll keep getting hit by magick on the

way. Avoid this route if you can.



Deploying lots of characters with range attacks is useful as you can just blast

away regardless of the gaps in the floor. Loffrey's Save the Queen sword gives

him a permanent Protect spell that makes him slow to kill. So, try to KO the

other guys (especially the Summoners) first before you take on Loffrey.



Loffrey uses Unyielding Blade techniques to crush your gear, but equipping

Safeguard will both preventing him from breaking your equipment and spare you

from the HP damage. Speaking of Crushing, using Crush Weapon on Loffrey is a

great tactic; destroying his sword will remove his Protect as well as prevent

him from using his sword techniques. (You can also use Rend Weapon or steal

it.)



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 55: The Necrohol of Mullonde-----------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others

2nd Squad - 2 others

ENEMY FORCES: Cletienne, Time Mage (male) x2, Ninja (male) x2,

Samurai (male) x2



BOSS: Cletienne [Gemini] - lv 54 Sorceror - Bravery 51, Faith 81

Equipment : Zeus Mace, Lambent Hat, Black Garb, Featherweave Cloak

Abilities : Magicks, Magick Boost, Arcane Defense, Fly



--STRATEGY--

The 2nd squad starts some distance away, so fill it with fast characters or

characters with long-range attacks.



Cletienne has really strong spells and a range of the whole battlefield. Since

he starts close to you, just forget the other enemies and rush him. If you can

pounce on him on quickly, you can probably to wrap this fight up very quickly.



Cletienne's Magick Boost reaction ability allows him to gain magick power when

you hit him. So, don't try to wear him down with weak attacks. Instead, try

only attack him with your strongest attacks so that you can take him out in as

a few hits as possible. Or, you can simply use MP-draining abilities--

Orlandeau's Duskblade works especially well--on Cletienne to take away all his

MP, so that he can't even use his magick.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 56: Lost Halidom-----------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others

2nd Squad - 2 others

ENEMY FORCES: Barich, Chemist (male) x1, Dark Behemoth x1, Hydra x1,

Greater Hydra x1, Tiamat x1



BOSS: Barich [Sagittarius] - lv 55 Machinist - Bravery 64, Faith 62

Equipment: Blaster, Thief's Cap, Luminous Robe, Featherweave Cloak

Abilities: Aimed Shot, Counter, Brawler, Lifefont



--STRATEGY--

This can be a tough fight. Barich and his crew start on a separate piece of

land from you. Barich and his Chemist can shoot at you from afar, but if you

jump over to his portion of the battlefield, his monsters will tear you to

shreds.



Barich, as before, will use Aimed Shot abilities to try to Immobilize and

Disable you, but this time, if you're equipped with Thief's Caps, you're immune

to this. Shirahadori is also great for defense, as it allows you to block the

shots from the enemy guns (only in video games...), even though shields/cloaks

are of no use. Auto-Potion is also helpful for dealing with the enemy gun

attacks.



The second squad starts pretty far away from Barich. A good tactic may be to

fill the first squad with characters with medium-range attacks (e.g. sword

techniques). They should be able to move forward and target Barich across the

gap without having to jump over the chasm. Meanwhile, deploy characters with

long-range attacks such as guns, Arithmeticks, or a long-range Jump in the

second squad. On their first turns, have them move up towards the first squad

and start targeting Barich with their range attacks. If you completed the

Gollund Colliery quest, Beowulf and Construct 8 will both be of great use here

for their long-range attacks (Vengeance and Dispose, respectively). Barich may

try to hide behind his monsters (and/or the Chemist), in which case you'll have

to take them out first in order to shoot him. Unfortunately, Barich's own

Thief's Cap prevents you from Immobilizing HIM.



Barich's Hydras will usually spend a turn or two advancing along Barich's

portion of the battlefield without attacking you. After that, they'll fly over

and land on your side! At this point, you may want to jump over Barich's side

and start attacking him directly--if you've done enough to damage to him

already, you can probably take him out with a few attacks. (He does use

Lifefont to regenerate his HP, though.)



If you completed the Nelveska Temple and restored Reis to human form, you could

also try putting Reis in the second squad. Have her run up to the little

"bridge" connecting the two halves of the battlefield and use Dragon's Charm

to charm the enemy Tiamat. Not only will this prevent the Tiamat from

attacking you, it will turn it against Barich! However, it usually takes a

turn or two for the Tiamat to come within range, so this may not be the most

efficient strategy -- and you have to watch out for the Dark Behemoth in the

mean time! If you DO use this strategy, you may wish to change Reis to a job

other than Dragonkin and equip Rubber Boots so that the Tiamat's Tri-Thunder

attack won't kill her before she can charm it.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Battle 57: Airship Graveyard------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Hashmal [Bringer of Order; Leo]



--STRATEGY--

Hashmal's two main attacks are Bind, which puts Stop on a group of characters,

and Quake, a fairly powerful area attack spell. Of course, equipping Jade

Armlets will protect you against the former. Since completely protecting

yourself against Stop will cause him to JUST cast Quake, one strategy is to

leave one character unprotected against Stop as a decoy. Hashmal will probably

try to Stop him/her, buying your other characters time to attack. Using this

strategy, you can probably defeat him before casts more than one Quake (perhaps

before he casts ANY).



And, if you completed the Gollund Colliery quest, you have an ace up your

sleeve: Construct 8, who is immune to both magick and Stop!



Although Hashmal's spells are strong, with 5 of you versus 1 of him, you

shouldn't have too much trouble taking him down. Just rush him. As always,

Lich and Graviga are effective against him. He only has 1500 HP.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Ragnarok





---Battle 58: Airship Graveyard------------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Alma [guest], 4 others

ENEMY FORCES:

1ST PHASE: Ultima [High Seraph; Virgo], Ultima Demon x4

2ND PHASE: Ultima [Arch Seraph; Virgo]



--STRATEGY--

Be sure to deploy your best characters for this, the final battle. Since both

versions of the final boss have a lot of HP, attacks that do damage

proportional to the enemy's max HP are quite effective. This includes Lich,

Graviga, and Beowulf's Drain Spellblade. Ultima likes to cast a lot of status

ailments on you, so equipping female characters (and Cloud) with any hair

adornments (Cachushas, Barettes, or preferably Ribbons) is also a great idea.



Alma will fight as a guest in this battle. She starts off with only 1 HP, so

toss her an X-Potion or cure spell to keep her alive. She will first cast

Aegis on herself, then start casting on the rest of the team. Aegis includes

a number of useful buffs, so this is actually pretty helpful. Note that if

Ramza or Luso casts the Ultima spell on Alma, she can learn it. This is not

advised, however; you want her casting Aegis, which is quite a bit more useful!

(You can toss Alma an Ether or Hi-Ether if she starts running out of MP.)



Note that the terrain here has changed a bit since the battle with Hashmal.

The mast pieces have disappeared and it's a bit more open.



The Ultima Demons can do more damage than Ultima, so try to defeat them first.

They don't have all that much HP, so you might even be able to take them out

with group attacks. If you're using Orlandeau, Shadowblade is also handy since

it restores his HP at the same time as doing damage.



Ultima has several different attacks. There's a physical attack, which is

fairly strong but otherwise nothing special, the Grand Cross spell, which

inflicts random status conditions, and an souped-up Ultima spell that is

still rather weak and slow to charge. Note that this Ultima spell has a

"friendly fire" effect and can damage Ultima's own units (and Ultima herself).

You can use this to your advantage; if you see her charging the spell up, move

the targetted unit close to some enemies and they'll take damage too. (You

can recognize Ultima because it's the only spell she charges up that shows

estimated HP damage in the preview -- Grand Cross is a status attack only.)

Ultima can also teleport around the battlefield, often putting her out of your

reach (which is another reason not to try killing her before the Demons). She

does NOT have a counterattack, so you're free to any physical or magick attacks

you want -- although you should probably have a better way of attacking her

than physical attacks!



If the battle drags on, the Ultima Demons you took out early on may start

turning into crystals. Grab these as soon as they appear. Ultima will try to

claim them, and, if she does, her HP will be completely restored!



It only takes about 1200 points of damage to defeat Ultima's first form. Of

course, like all good final bosses, Ultima has a second form that appears

after the first is defeated. This one has over 3000 HP (!), but it's probably

easier, since there won't be any Ultima Demons around to harass you. Attack

her with the aforementioned Drain attack (Beowulf), Lich, Graviga, and sword

techniques. (Again, she has no counterattack, so physical attacks are also

safe.) Fortunately, Ultima is pretty slow, and you have quite a bit of

time to heal up and attack between her moves, especially if Alma has been

casting Haste on you via Aegis. And, if Alma has been casting Aegis on your

party, Ultima may well waste her turns using Dispelja to remove the effects of

Aegis, and not even inflict any damage on you.



Again, Ultima teleports around the battlefield on each of her turns. If she

moves out of range, just wait in the center of the ship and on her next turn

she should move in range again.



Once you defeat Ultima's second form, you win the game. Congratulations!





%%%SUBQUEST BATTLE STRATEGIES%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00bssub



---Gollund Colliery Battle 1: Gollund Colliery Floor---------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others

2nd Squad - Beowulf [guest], 2 others

ENEMY FORCES: Chemist (male) x5



--STRATEGY--

For some reason, you are being attacked by a large band of Chemists. (Note

that there's one hidden under the staircase right next to where you start!)

Since the Chemists exclusively fight with guns, there's no need for any type of

magick defense. And since guns always have a 100% hit rate, boosting your

evade rate is pointless; leave behind the cloaks and shields and go for dual-

wielded or two-handed weapons and other accessories. Finally, close-range

reaction abilities like Counter are pointless; choose reaction abilities like

Auto-Potion or Adrenaline Rush that are useful at any range.



The key to this battle is to close the distance between you and the Summoners

as quickly as possible. Fast characters or those with a high Move rate will

be good for this. You can also use Arithmeticks, Summons, Jump, or your

own guns to hit from a distance. If you use Arithmeticks, note that Blizzard

family magicks will be particularly effective because it's snowing.



Since the Chemists all have Items, they can keep healing themselves and

reviving their KOed comrades, which gets a little annoying. If you have

Orlandeau and/or Meliadoul, using their Crush abilities to break the Chemists'

armor will reduce their maximum HP and limit the amount they can heal

themselves. (Rend and Steal abilities work for this, too, but they often miss

and don't do any direct damage!) You can also use Summons to strike a whole

area and wipe all the critical-HP Chemists who have just been revived.



Reviving any of your *own* KOed can also be difficult--because the Chemists

have guns, they'll immediately shoot and KO any character with critical HP.

You'll need Arise to effectively revive characters. Of course, if a KOed

character's death counter is getting low, you may need to toss a Phoenix Down

or Raise on them anyway--even if they just KOed again, you've at least reset

their counter and saved them from permanent death.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Mythril Bow, Mythril Shield





---Gollund Colliery Battle 2: Gollund Colliery Slope---------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Beowulf [guest], 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Chemist (male) x1, Thief (male) x2, Behemoths x1,

Behemoth King x1



--STRATEGY--

This battle has a similar setting as the previous, but there's only Chemist

and, instead, two Thieves and two behemoths. (The Behemoth King is hiding in

the cubby-hole behind the Thief near your start position.) With a more

conventional assortment of enemies, this should actually be a more

straightforward battle.



The Chemist here has a Glacial Gun that you may want to steal -- though if he

happens to start with the Maintenance ability, you're out of luck. He can do

quite a bit of damage from it and you can't reach him to attack right away, but

equipping Ice Shields will protect you from the damage. The Thief on the top

level has a tendency to just sit in the corner until you come very close,

making him a sitting duck for magick or Jump attacks.



Since the Behemoth King is a somewhat rare monster, you may also want to Entice

or Tame it onto your team. Alternately, Poach it and you'll score either an

Artemis Bow or a Cherche perfume.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Mythril Knife, Mythril Spear





---Gollund Colliery Battle 3: Gollund Colliery Ridge---------------------------

YOUR FORCES:

1st Squad - Ramza, Beowulf [guest], 2 others

2nd Squad - 2 others

ENEMY FORCES: Chemist (male) x2, Blue Dragon x2, Pig x1



--STRATEGY--

This time, you're fighting two Chemists, two Blue Dragons, and a dancing pig

(huh?). The Pig is safe to leave 'til last; it can't do any harm. The Blue

Dragons, however, can and WILL harm you. Equipping Ice Shields will defend

against their Ice Breath attack, but even their physical attacks are strong.

The Blue Dragons are weak against fire, so use fire attacks for extra damage.

Do NOT use ice attacks (including Geomancy, the Icebrand, and the Glacial Gun),

as they will absorb the ice and gain HP! Special sword techniques are your

best offense (as usual).



If you Entice the Pig to your team, you can breed and Poach pigs for great

items, so this is a great opportunity to recruit one! If you already have a

Pig on the team, you can just axe this one.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Mythril Sword, Mythril Armor





---Gollund Colliery Battle 4: Gollund Coal Shaft-------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Beowulf [guest], Reis [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Syneugh [Archaeodaemon], Plague Horror x3, Ochu x2



--STRATEGY--

You need to keep Reis, the Holy Dragon, alive in this battle. Be sure to bring

someone who can heal her.



In order to get into Reis's area, you need to climb up onto the upper level and

pass through the narrow doorway. If you use jobs or accessories that get your

Jump score up to 4, you can jump directly up onto the ledge, which helps you

close the distance quickly. Otherwise, you'll have to take the long route up

by using the stairs behind where your party starts.



The Plague Horrors will turn you to stone or cast Doom on you if given the

chance, so kill them first -- both the Plague Horrors and Ochus are weak

against ice, so use ice attacks! If the enemies get lined up in the narrow

passage, use Shockwave (Monk) or Divine Ruination (Agrias/Orlandeau) to hit the

whole line of them. Reis will probably also rip into them with her Ice Breath.



After taking out the Plague Horrors, go after Syneugh. (Reis should be

able to handle the two Ochus.) Make sure to keep Reis healed. Syneugh uses

Gigaflare a lot, which hits a wide area but isn't nearly as powerful as it

looks (although it does do a number on the frame rate ^_^). It also hits his

own teammates if they happen to be standing in your vicinity! Syneugh doesn't

have very much HP; if you have Orlandeau, he might able to kill Syneugh in

one shot. This battle isn't really as tough as it may look -- just make

sure Reis stays healed!



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Balthier Subquest Battle: Dorter Slums--------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Balthier [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Archer (male) x3, White Mage (female) x1, Monk (male) x1,

Thief (male) x1



--STRATEGY--

The bulk of your team will start away from Ramza and Balthier, so it may be

helpful to bring characters with a high Move range or guns, so that they can

join the fray quickly. You'll need to make sure Ramza doesn't get separated

and surrounded. Balthier won't fight on the frontlines, but he has a super-

strong gun and will assist from the rooftops. Unless Ramza gets surrounded,

this should be an easy battle.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Nelveska Temple Battle: Nelveska Temple-------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Construct 7, Cockatrice x3, Hydra x2



BOSS: Construct 7 [random Zodiac] - lv 66 Automaton - Bravery 50, Faith 00

Abilities : Tasks, Counter, Defense Boost



--STRATEGY--

The enemies here will hit you hard and fast. When deploying characters, put

Orlandeau on either the far left or far right. If you have another character

with an automatic Haste (e.g. from the Tynar Rouge), place her behind

Orlandeau. Together, they can probably KO one of the Hydras on the pillars

before it has a chance to move.



The Hydras will attack you first. Watch out for their Tri-Attack, which hits

both the unit in front of them as well any to either side. Try to kill off one

of them before the Cockatrices reach you. The Cockatrices have relatively

little HP, so you may be able to take them out with group attacks (e.g.

Hallowed Bolt). Since all the enemies are fairly close by, you often don't

need to move attack to them. Remember that not moving gives you your next turn

faster, so don't move unless you need here. Since you're getting assaulted

from all sides here, Orlandeau's Shadowblade attack is quite useful here -- it

both deals damage AND restores a lot of his HP, keeping him healthy.



Construct 7 will probably come out of its nook in the temple to attack you.

It attacks are brutal and can do 300+ damage to you. Try to thin out the

other monsters a little bit first so you won't be swarmed while you're wearing

Construct 7 down. Once you've taken out at least half the other monsters, rush

Construct 7. It has NO Faith, so magick attacks are useless, and it's also

immune to all elements except Lightning, so even non-magickal attacks that do

elemental damage (like the Monk's Shockwave) don't work. Regular physical

attacks and sword techniques will work. In addition, Construct 7 IS weak to

non-magickal lightning attacks, so Reis's Thunder Breath attack will do quite a

bit of damage; it should take off more than half the Construct's HP! When you

KO Construct 7 the first time, it will come back with 1 HP, so KO it again and

the battle will end.



However, there are ALSO a bunch of hidden items that you can find during this

battle. If you want to get them, you have to get them during this battle, as

you can't come back here after defeating Construct 7.



On top of the two pillars where the Hydras start, you'll find the best polearm

(right pillar) and shield (left pillar). They're called the Javelin and

Escutcheon, but they're really totally different items. The lower your

Bravery, the better your odds of discovering them; otherwise, you'll end up

with a regular Javelin and Escutcheon, the WORST polearm and shield. To get up

on top of the pillars, move Construct 8 or Reis next to the pillar as a

stepping-stone. You'll need at least a jump of 4 to get up using the stepping-

stone method. (Ignore Elevation and Teleport are not usable because you need

their ability slot for Treasure Hunter!)



There are also two other hidden items: the Sasuke's Blade ninja blade, and the

Nagnarok sword, a sword that turns enemies into Toads. The Nagnarok has only 1

attack power but a high evade rate when used with Parry. Both these items also

require low Bravery, or you'll get Elixirs instead.



Sasuke's Blade is hidden in the grassy area behind the temple. When you're

facing the temple, on the right side, you'll see a staircase-like cliff that

you can use to climb up on top of the temple. Once you're on top of the

temple, continue moving away from your starting point into the green and brown

grassy area at the back end of the map. The specific tile is near the very far

back. Face the temple and move the cursor the upper-left corner of the map.

Now, move the cursor one tile to the right and one tile down. You should be on

a tile with a height of 4. This is the tile with Sasuke's Blade.



The Nagnarok sword is much closer to where you start. When the battle starts,

you'll see that Construct 7 is in the "doorway" of the temple just in front of

where you start. It's a black area with pillars on either side. You'll have

to lure Construct 7 out of the way. Once Construct 7 moves out of the way,

move into that "doorway," as if you were walking inside the temple. This is a

narrow passageway -- move the character as far back in the passage as the game

will let you in. The tile deepest inside the temple has the Nagnarok.



This can be a tough battle in its own right, and trying to claim all these

items will make it even harder. Bringing as any many women with Chantage as

possible will help keep you alive, of course -- and even Angel Rings (which

only give you Reraise once per battle) are useful. If your Treasure Hunter is

relatively weak, try equipping him/her with the Invisibility Cloak found on

Mount Germinas. As long as the character doesn't take any actual action and

just moves around picking up items, s/he should be left alone completely.

KOing one or both Hydras at the very start of the battle will leave their

bodies atop the pillars, preventing you from climbing up there until they

crystallize ... but go ahead and KO them anyway. You're being attacked by so

many enemies at the start that it's easier to take them out and then just wait

for them to crystallize once things have settled down.



The biggest concern when item-hunting is Construct 7 and its strong attacks.

Unfortunately, it's immune to most of the status conditions you might want to

inflict; instead, use Rend Speed over and over to whittle down its speed and

minimize the number of turns it gets. Once you've taken away all its speed,

you can then use Rend Power on it to make it even weaker. (Note that if you

combine Arts of War with Dual Wield, you get two Rends per turn.) If you're

doing the Rends at close range, you will have to endure Construct 7's

counterattacks, which is why Chantage will be helpful. Beware of accidentally

killing Construct 7 with any counterattacks you might have; you don't want the

battle to end prematurely! (And, keep in mind that all of Construct 7's

special attacks decrease its own HP a little bit.) You'll probably need to

stand by and keep healing Construct 7 while you continue item-hunting. The

other enemies can (and should!) be safely killed, of course.



Because the Javelin II and Esutcheon II have the same names as the crummy

Javelin and the Escutcheon, it's hard to tell during the battle which one

you've picked up. The Javelin II is gray instead of silver and has a fatter

point, and the Escutcheon II has gold trim (instead of silver) and an extra

vertical bar on its face. These details can be tough to spot in the few

seconds the item is displayed, though. An easier method is to put Reequip on

your Treasure Hunter, which will allow you to examine the items list during

battle. As long as you have "Display Unequippable Items" set to "On" (under

Options), you can see your entire list of equipment. Press Select to check the

stats. If the Javelin or Escutcheon has great stats, it's the one you want; if

it has terrible stats, it's the "regular" version. (You can reset if you don't

get what you're looking for.) You needn't even use up a turn to use Reequip

in this way; just cancel out of the equipment menu without changing anything

and you can take another action.



If you're not shooting for ALL the items, the Escutcheon II is generally the

best to pick up since it can be equipped by many jobs and cannot be found

anywhere else in the game. (The Javelin II and Sasuke's Blade can eventually

be caught with Sticky Fingers, and a Sasuke's Blade can be stolen in another

subquest.) The Javelin II is probably second-best, since it's the strongest

polearm, whereas Sasuke's Blade is inferior to the Koga and Iga blades found in

Midlight's Deep. The Nagnarok is the lowest priority, since it is of rather

dubious value to begin with and can always be poached from Swines.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Cloud Subquest Battle: Sal Ghidos-------------------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Cloud [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Squire (male) x1, Monk (male) x1, Thief (male) x3



--STRATEGY--

At this point in the game, a bunch of generic enemies with underpowered jobs

shouldn't pose much threat -- if you can't win this battle, you probably

shouldn't be playing the game ;). The main concern here is the three Thieves,

who may try to steal your stuff. If you've got any rare gear, you'll probably

want to equip Safeguard to make sure you don't lose it -- or just take the

Thieves out ASAP. You also need to make sure Cloud stays healthy, since you

lose the battle if he's KOed. He's usually not in any danger, though, since he

often flees into the far side of the map and avoids the melee completely.



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Disorder in the Order Battle: Brigands' Den---------------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Agrias [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Squire (male) x2, Knight (male) x2, Monk (female) x1,

Ninja (male) x1



--STRATEGY--

Agrias fights as a Guest in this battle, but it's not necessary to keep her

from getting KOed. (You won't lose if she does.) In fact, if you want to

steal from all the enemies here, it's probably a GOOD idea to KO her yourself,

to keep her from finishing off the enemies before you do. Since she's a Guest,

you can leave her KOed as long as you want and she won't ever disappear.



This battle is mainly a stealing extravaganza! Every enemy here has at least

one rare item you can't find in stores (although all these items are also

available in at least one other place in the game as well). The Squires have

Blaze and Glacial Guns respectively, the Ninja has a Sasuke's Blade, the Monk

has Ninja Gear and a Barette, and the Knights have a Venetian Shield and a

Kaiser Shields. If you get nothing else, the shields are probably your best

bet. Since there's a LOT to steal here, equipping Concentration or Martial

Arts to boost your success rate be helpful. Don't forget that raising your

Speed also helps you steal items, so use Ramza and Luso's Tailwind (or the

Bard's Rousing Melody) to crank up your Speed stat. Balthier's Plunder skills

are also advantageous here--they're more likely to successfully steal than a

regular Steal.



A couple of the enemies start up on top of the fort, which makes them hard to

reach unless you have a good Jump, Teleport, or Ignore Elevation. However, if

you march up to the top of the ramp in front of the fort, you can still hit

them with a lot of special attacks (e.g. sword techniques), and guns and

(especially) Construct 8's Dispose are always good for attacking from a

distance.



Note that all the enemies in this battle act as "special" characters who will

never crystallize or turn into chests. This can be kinda handy if you want

to steal from them. You can knock out all but one enemy, then revive just the

enemy you want to steal from, pilfer what you want, KO the enemy again, and

repeat. You never have to worry about anyone disappearing completely. Just

don't finish off the last enemy until you're done stealing!



BATTLE TROPHIES: None





---Lionel's New Liege Lord Battle 1: Lionel Castle Gate------------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Beowulf [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES: Aliste, Archer (male) x2, Time Mage (female) x1, Ninja (male) x2



BOSS: Aliste [Scorpio] - lv 48 Templar - Bravery 80, Faith 35

Equipment : Genji Shield, Save the Queen, Genji Helm, Genji Armor, Ribbon

Abilities : Spellblade, Iaido, Shirahadori, Safeguard, Master Teleportation



--STRATEGY--

Beowulf fights on your team as a Guest in this battle, which means you only

get to choose 3 other charactes to deploy. And while it's not spelled out in

the victory conditions, you have to keep Beowulf alive -- if he gets KOed, you

immediately get a Game Over. Be sure to equip him with some good armor or a

shield beforehand. It's probably a wise idea to deploy a decent healer as

well so that you can keep his health up. Since your principal enemy here has

Safeguard, Meliadoul's sword techniques are useless, so you probably won't

want to deploy her.



Aliste starts up on the roof, but since he has Elmdore's Master Teleportation

ability, he'll probably warp down to fight you before you can climb up after

him. He's a Templar just like Beowulf, so he has all of Beowulf's Spellblade

skills. (He has a nice set of Genji gear, but, also like Elmdore, he has

Safeguard, which means you unfortunately can't steal it from him.) Since

he can inflict a lot of status changes on you, be sure to have Remedy or Esuna

ready. Alternately, try wiping out Aliste's MP using the Knight's Rend MP,

Orlandeau's Duskblade, or the Dark Knight's Infernal Strike.



You might want to send one or two of your less powerful characters to take out

the Ninjas coming through the castle gate. The other enemies can probably

be ignored. The Archers won't do too much damage, and they're hard to attack

since the castle wall blocks your ability to shoot at them. If you want to

take them out, use Construct 8's Dispose, which can go through walls.



Focus your attacks on Aliste. He uses Shirahadori to guard your physical

attacks. You can try to weaken this by using Orator skills to lower his

Bravery (since a lower Bravery means reaction abilities trigger less often),

and Beowulf may help you in this regard. Otherwise, just throw some spells and

sword techniques (or Construct 8's Dispose) at him until he goes down. The

first time you KO him, he'll revive with 1 HP, but just punch him out a second

time and you win the battle for real.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Genji Armor





---Lionel's New Liege Lord Battle 2: Lionel Castle Oratory---------------------

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Beowulf [guest], 3 others

ENEMY FORCES:

PHASE ONE: Bremondt, Mystic (female) x2, Samurai (female) x2,

Ninja (male) x2

PHASE TWO: Bremondt [Dark Dragon; Gemini]



BOSS: Bremondt [Gemini] - lv 51 Celebrant - Bravery 10, Faith 80

Equipment : Zeus Mace, Celebrant's Miter, Lordly Robe, Ribbon

Abilities : Priest Magicks, Fundaments, Counter Tackle, Safeguard, Lifefont



--STRATEGY--

Bremondt has a pretty powerful set of underlings here. Most importantly, the

Samurai to Bremondt's right (the left side of the screen when the battle

begins) has a stealable Masamune. This is by far the easiest place to get this

weapon, so be sure to steal it! (The only other way to get a Masamune is to

catch it using Sticky Fingers when enemy Ninjas throw it.)



Some of Bremondt's other troops are pretty tough, too. The Mystic on his

left (again, the right side of the screen initially) is equipped with Chantage,

which means that there's no point in attacking her, as she'll just revive on

her next turn. The only way to take her out is to break the Chantage or steal

it. Since Chantage is extremely useful, stealing it isn't a bad idea, although

you CAN get them elsewhere. Watch out, both Mystics also have a pretty strong

attack since they're equipped with bags.



Other rare items available here are a Cachusha and Barette--stolen from the

Mystics on Bremondt's right and left, respectively--and the Sortile'ge perfume,

also stolen from the Mystic on his right. You'll be receiving a Sortile'ge

and Hydrascale Bag for completing this quest anyway, though, so these are

pretty skippable.



Bremondt himself is equipped with a Lordly Robe and (despite being male) a

Ribbon, which gives him a fair amount of HP. (Unfortunately, he has Safeguard,

so you can't steal this stuff from him.) As long as at least one of his

underlings is KOed, though, he usually wastes his turns casting Arise. (This

can actually helpful be if you accidentally KO the Samurai with the Masamune

before you're able to steal it.) Just make sure at least one of the generic

enemies stays knocked out while you go after Bremondt. Since the Ribbon

doesn't protect Bremondt from the Atheist status, you can also try using

the Mystic's Disbelief (or Beowulf's Doubt) to prevent him from casting

magicks. Alternately, attack his MP with Rend MP / Duskblade / Infernal

Strike.



When Bremondt is first KOed, he will transform into the Dark Dragon, and all

the other enemy troops will be wiped from the board. It's now time for the

second phase of this battle.



The Dark Dragon has some really strong physical attacks, and might occasionally

use breath attacks as well. It can Counter you when you attack, so you're

probably better off using sword techniques or other abilities that aren't

standard melee attacks. As with most bosses that have high HP, Lich and

Graviga are effective (as is Beowulf's Drain, though here you have no control

over whether he uses it!) The Dark Dragon has about 3,000 HP; when you defeat

it, you'll clear this battle and the subquest.



BATTLE TROPHIES: Zeus Mace



%%%MIDLIGHT'S DEEP%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00bsmd



For a general description of how to advance in Midlight's Deep and find items,

see the Midlight's Deep section of the walkthrough.





---Level 1: The Crevasse---

In this level, you start out at the top of a large cliff with a staircase-like

path winding down it. The enemies are all at the bottom, which gives you a big

height advantage. It's easy to rain ranged attacks down on them. (If you do

want to use melee attacks, Ignore Elevation, Teleport, or other jump boosts are

helpful for navigating the cliff and descending quickly.) The enemies here are

all weak jobs and monsters, so they shouldn't be that difficult. (Sometimes

you'll get nothing but goblins!) This a good warm-up for the tougher

Midlight's Deep battles, though.



Remember to find the exit before you KO the last enemy. Otherwise, you won't

be able to advance to the next level!



ITEM LOCATIONS:

(X: 2, Y: 2 | height: 7) Glacial Gun

(X: 9, Y: 0 | height: 22) Blaze Gun

(X: 4, Y: 9 | height: 17) Kiyomori

(X: 6, Y: 0 | height: 20) Elixir





---Level 2: The Stair---

Despite the name, this floor isn't quite a stair. Instead, it's a bumpy

landscape full of variations in height. (So, again, Ignore Elevation/Teleport

and jump boosts are helpful.) This level is a head-on confrontation between

you and your opponents, who start quite close to you. You do still have a bit

of a height advantage, though.



The enemy's forces are usually comprised of Archers, ahrimans, and skeletons.

Since there are often multiple Archers, the Archer's Bane ability is quite

helpful. Having your own strong range attacks also lets you KO the Archers

quickly. Take out the Archers first, then go after the skeletons (their Anima

attacks can be pretty strong!), and finally the ahrimans. Since you're being

attacked by the full party at once, putting Disable or Chicken on some enemies

or using Rend/Crush Weapon on humans will stop their attacks and give you some

breathing room.



You may fight ghosts or goblins instead, which is usually an easier battle.

Both groups of enemies are definitely toughter than those in The Crevasse,

however.



ITEM LOCATIONS:

(X: 2, Y: 7 | height: 6) Blood Sword

(X: 6, Y:10 | height: 9) Elixir

(X: 8, Y: 1 | height: 1) Save the Queen

(X: 4, Y: 0­ | height: 0) Elixir





---Level 3: The Hollow---

The Hollow has a big chasm running through the center of it, dividing the map

into three separate regions. Your party starts on a separate "island" from the

enemy squad and you can only cross with a jump.



If you bring a lot of characters with long-range attacks (guns, Arithmeticks,

Construct 8's Dispose), this should be fairly easy. From your starting point,

guns and Dispose can hit almost all of the enemies. Since they have to

navigate around the pits, you can just stand there and blast away. Just Wait

instead of moving and you can get your next turn even faster. Still, the

enemies will catch up with you eventually, so you'll want to bring along a good

close-range fighter or two (like Orlandeau) as well.



Probably the most dangerous enemy here are the Mindflayers. Their Mind Blast

ability can Berserk or Confuse you, and has enough range that it can reach

across the chasm. Try to take them out first. (Remember that Confused

characters can be cured by whacking them with a physical attack. This doesn't

cure Berserk, though.)



You'll likely see some Black Mages as well, who can of course hit you with

magick from a distance. Stealing away their MP is one good way of dealing with

them. A gun paired with Rend MP can do this from a long distance, and

Orlandeau's Duskblade has a decent range too.



ITEM LOCATIONS:

(X: 4, Y: 3 | height: 1.5) Elixir

(X: 8, Y: 6 | height: 0.5) Zeus Mace

(X: 7, Y:15 | height: 1.5) Elixir

(X: 2, Y: 9 | height: 4.5) Yoichi Bow





---Level 4: The Catacombs---

The Catacombs are actually just a big staircase that winds back and forth,

similar to The Crevasse (the first floor). However, the staircase is longer

and each tier is separated by a chasm, so you can't jump straight down.



Depending on the enemies you face, this level can either be easy or pretty

challenging. There are three main types of enemies you'll face here: Malboros,

Aevises, and Mystics. The Malboros are the easiest. They're slow, don't have

ranged attacks, and tend to bunch up in groups. You can take your time

advancing against them and attack them with wide-range attacks (e.g. Hallowed

Bolt).



The other enemies are tougher. The Aevises will quickly fly up the stairs to

attack you and can fly over your front line to attack the magick-/item-users in

the back. The Mystics can also be a pain since they will put lots of status

conditions on you and often start near your team. If you have any Hair

Adornments to equip on your female characters, they will protect against lots

of potential status ailments. Attack the Mystics first since they have less HP

and you can probably KO them the fastest. Attack the Aevises second and save

any Malboros for last.



The exit is almost always towards the end of path, as are most of the items.

This can make them difficult to reach if the enemy squad confronts you head-on.

You'll probably have the best luck finding everything when you're fighting the

Malboros and have plenty of room and time for navigation.



ITEM LOCATIONS:

(X:12, Y: 2 | height: 7) Elixir

(X: 4, Y: 8 | height: 4) Rod of Faith

(X: 5, Y:10 | height: 4) Kaiser Shield

(X: 5, Y: 9 | height: 6) Faerie Harp





---Level 5: The Oubliette---

The Oubliette is basically a "king of the hill" scenario. You're up on top of

a hill which is surrounded by loads of enemies. There's only one path up (or

down) the hill, which loops counterclockwise around the cliff. Note that the

Excalibur is hidden right on the top of the hill, where you start. Be sure to

pick this one up ... the permanent Haste is very useful! If you have Reequip,

you can even arm yourself it with it right away.



Of course, it's possible to launch attacks down at the enemies from atop the

the cliff, but it's trickier than it looks. The angle is so steep that guns

probably won't work. Your best best is probably just to wind your way down the

trail. For the most part, you'll be on the opposite side of the hill as the

enemies and they can't hit you anyways. Do be careful when you're descending

the initial ramp, though. If you stand close to the edge of the cliff, any

enemy Archers or Summoners CAN hit you from below.



Because the trail is pretty narrow, it can get hard to see where your

characters are, or how far your moving/targeting range extends. Don't forget

that you can rotate the "camera" by tapping the analog stick (in the lower-left

of the PSP) left or right. This will often help you get a better view.

Pressing the R button on top of the PSP will also tilt the camera angle.



After you've made a couple turns around the hill and end up facing the irection

you did when you started the level, you'll come to a pass that's only two tiles

wide. This is the best place to fight. You can just send Divine Ruinations

or Shockwaves down this corridor and rip the enemies. (If you have both Agrias

and Orlandeau you can cover the entire pass with Divine Ruinations.)



Another tactic is the to block the full width of the pass with Invisible

characters. (Ninja Gear, Septie`me perfume, and the Invisibility Cloak can all

make characters Invisible.) The enemies can't walk past your Invisible

characters, and because you're Invisible, they won't be able to attack you

either. Then, you can just have the rest of your team launch magicks or sword

techniques at the enemies from behind your "invisible wall."



Any White Mages you encounter are actually the most dangerous enemies here, as

they will keep healing and Raising the other enemies. Kill them first. If the

enemy team is nothing but various sorts of dryads, it's much easier.



With all the carnage going on, finding the exit can be tough. Try using Ignore

Elevation and jumping down to the far end of the path right away. This works

best if the character is Invisible or otherwise has a good defense, as s/he is

otherwise likely to get surrounded and KOed.



ITEM LOCATIONS:

(X: 4, Y: 8 | height: 18) Excalibur

(X: 0, Y:11 | height: 11) Elixir

(X: 6, Y:11 | height: 7) Iga Blade

(X: 6, Y: 0 | height: 1) Elixir





---Level 6: The Palings---

The Palings seems really small at first, but scroll around to see the whole

picture. It's a mostly flat level with three big rock ridges. Select a long

range attack to get a feel for where they are. Since you can't move over or

through the ridges (even with Ignore Elevation), you'll have to wind your way

around them. A much better strategy, though, is to just cast magick *through*

them, while the enemies are still trying to navigate around them. Sword

techniques and summon spells work great for this purpose. You can even use

Jump to attack over the walls. Using Invisible characters to block the passage

works here, too (see The Oubliette, above).



As in The Oubliette, it can often get pretty hard to see where you're going, so

rotate the camera to keep track of where the enemies are and where you can

move.



Sometimes, you'll encounter a slew of Vampire Cats here. They like to use

Blaster to turn you to stone, so you may want to equip Jade Armlets for

protection just in case, or at least bring a supply of Gold Needle or Remdies.



Note that all the hidden items are right in the starting corner -- there's no

reason not to pick them up! (If you start on top of one the item tiles, you

have to first move to another tile and then move to the item tile before you

can get the item to appear.)



ITEM LOCATIONS:

(X: 0, Y: 9 | height: 5) Elixir

(X: 0, Y: 8 | height: 5) Blaster

(X: 1, Y, 8 | height: 5) Cursed Ring

(X: 1, Y: 9 | height: 5) Ninja Gear





---Level 7: The Crossing---

The Crossing is a mostly flat level with a big rock ridge running through the

middle. There's a small gap running through the ridge (the Crossing, I

suppose) that separates it into two smaller cliffs.



You start off next to one of the ends of the ridge. Most of the time, the

enemies will all be clustered around the other cliff. Advance forwards and

start fighting them, using height to your advantage where you can. Again,

because you're often fighting a large group at once, abilities that quickly

put an enemy out of commission (e.g. Chicken or Arm Shot) are helpful.



Sometimes, the enemies will be more spread out across the level. Advance

foward just the same and cross the level on the level ground. Trying to climb

over the ridge is just liable to get your characters separated and surrounded.



There's actually not much need to climb up onto the top of the ridge except to

find the items stashed up there. Most of the items (including the two rare

weapons) are atop the cliff that you start beside. To get up there, from the

starting point, move forward a little bit, then move sideways into the gap

through the ridge. From here, you can jump on top of the ridge, but you'll

need a Jump of 5. If you need a boost, use Construct 8 or another large

monster as a stepping stool. (Remember, of course, that Treasure Hunter cannot

be combined with Teleport or Ignore Elevation.)



ITEM LOCATIONS:

(X: 4, Y: 4 | height: 12) Elixir

(X: 4, Y:10 | height: 13) Staff of the Magi

(X: 4, Y:12 | height: 12) Koga Blade

(X: 4, Y:14 | height: 10) Elixir





---Level 8: The Switchback---

This level has two tiers. You start on the high one and have to cross it,

descend a stair, and fight back across the lower tier (hence the name "The

Switchback.") As in other levels like The Oubliette, the decline is so steep

that it's pretty hard to shoot downwards, so you're better off heading for

the stairs.



Often times, you'll encounter a swarm of Archers (and nothing but!) here, so

readying Archer's Bane beforehand is a good strategy. This fight isn't too

tough since the Archers can't do all THAT much damage (and often take time

charging up Aim).



On other occasions, you'll fight very powerful monsters -- behemoth, dragons,

and hydras (oh my!). When you see these guys, you may want to forestall

hunting for items or the exit and just focus on surviving.



ITEM LOCATIONS:

(X: 4, Y: 6 | height: 3) Perseus Bow

(X: 6, Y: 7 | height: 3) Lordly Robe

(X: 9, Y: 8 | height: 3) Ragnarok

(X:10, Y:10 | height: 3) Elixir





---Level 9: The Interstice---

The Interstice has a tricky layout. You start on one of two pillars. (There's

also a tiny mini-pillar in between the two pillars.) Parallel to the pillars

is a flat plateau area where the enemies often start. The terrain in between

and on the other side of the pillars is flat.



The enemies often start on top of the plateau. From their position here, they

will launch spells and arrows up at you. If you stand on the side of the

pillar closest to them, you can hit them back with some ranged attacks. To

really attack them (and to use any close-range abilities), though, you'll need

to take down the long route down to their plateau. Jump across the mini-pillar

to the other pillar. From here, there's a staircase down to the plateau.



You should probably hurry for the staircase as quickly as you can. While you

CAN attack from the top of the pillars, it's too crowded to move around, making

it difficult to target the enemies you want. Start moving across the pillars

as fast as you can. You *could* also use Teleport or Ignore Elevation to jump

down to the plateau, but this is pretty tricky because: (a) there's a hole in

the corner of the map closest to where you start; the only route you can take

is directly down off the front of the pillar where you start and (b) the

character is liable to get surrounded and killed quickly. Only try this if you

have a pretty sturdy character with a lot of HP or a good reaction ability

(e.g. Shirahadori).



You'll also need to take the plateau route if you want to claim all the items

-- the Maximillian armor is located on the far end of the plateau, and the

Venetian Shield is down on the flat floor. (The Grand Helm is up on the

pillars.) All of these are definitely worth grabbing.



The specific enemies you face here, of course, vary. Often times, you'll face

an assortment of Black Mages, Archers, Knights, and Chocobos. Don't forget

that you can stop the Black Mages pretty quickly by stealing their MP --

Orlandeau's Duskblade works well for that. Another set of enemies involves

Ninja and Samurai. They're fairly easy. If you're just looking to clear the

battle, kill the Ninjas first, since they can throw from a distance. But, if

the Ninjas are at a high level (90+) they will throw rare weapons at you that

you can catch the Thief reaction ability Sticky Fingers. Kill off the Samurai

first and then just sit around and let them throw weapons at you.



Finally, sometimes, instead of the Ninja and Samurai convention, you get

dragons and Cockatrices. This is tough. Try to stay in a tight group on the

pillars and use your best attacks. Attack the Cockatrices first, then go for

the dragons closest to you.



Note that with all enemy groups, some of the enemies can sometimes be very hard

to see, if they slip in between the pillars or between the pillar and plateau.

Try to track where they're moving so you don't forget about them if you can't

see them on the screen.



Finding the exit in this level can be tricky. It's often on the flat "flooor"

below the pillars and plateau. Your best best is to put Teleport or Ignore

Elevation on an invisible character and immediately to quickly from the

starting pillar down to the flat ground. If you don't have the items/abilities

for that, you'll have to take the very long route: hop across the pillars,

descend to the plateau, cross the plateau, and THEN reach the set of stairs

down the floor.



ITEM LOCATIONS:

(X: 3, Y: 4 | height: 8) Grand Helm

(X: 3, Y: 5 | height: 2) Venetian Shield

(X: 9, Y: 0 | height: 4) Maximillian

(X: 3, Y:10 | height: 2) Elixir





---Level 10: Terminus---

YOUR FORCES: Ramza, the Byblos [guest], 4 others

ENEMY FORCES: Elidibus [Serpentarius], Reaver x6



Note that the battle with Elidibus is considered a story battle; you'll have to

deploy Ramza the first time you visit here. If you want to learn the Zodiark

summon spell (and this is your only opportunity to do so), you'll need to

deploy someone who is a Summoner (which can be Ramza or someone else).



There's no exit to find here, just a confrontation with Elidibus and a whole

pile of Reavers. Elidibus is at the top of a spiral staircase; you'll have to

fight your way up past the Reavers to reach him.



The enemy Reavers are gray. The purple monster behind you, the Byblos, is NOT

an enemy; its a Guest fighting on your side. Don't kill it; it's your friend!

(The personal name of the Byblos is random, but it can be identified by its

"Byblos" monster type and purple color.) The Byblos is pretty slow-moving, but

it can heal you from afar. Keep it alive and it will join you afterwards.



Begin fighting your way up the stairs. The Reavers aren't hard to kill; sword

techniques or Dual Wielded physical attacks work wonders. Since their Bio

spells take time to charge, you can often KO them before they can even cast the

spell. The Bio spells don't do all that much HP damage. However, they can

inflict a variety of status ailments, so bring an ability like Esuna or

Purification to remove these -- Purification is especially helpful since it

doesn't need to charge.



You can probably Elidibus quickly. Elidibus's main attack is the extremely

powerful Zodiark summon (700+ damage). It's obvious when he's going to cast it

from the humongous damage estimates -- plus it takes a long time to charge.

Get out of the way if you can! Split your team up so he can't take out too

many at one time.



Once you've gotten past the Reavers, healing is pretty much pointless because

Zodiark will basically kill you no matter how much HP you have. (And, if

you're using Beowulf, keeping his HP low will allow Vengeance to do more

damage!) Do, however, revive KOed characters. Angel Rings and Chantage will

be quite useful in this battle as they let you recover from the inevitable KO.

(Angel Rings work only once; Chantage works multiple times.) Another tactic is

to use the Mystic ability Disbelief or Beowulf's Doubt to give your characters

the Atheist status, which temporarily reduces your Faith to 0 and makes you

immune to magick. Atheist status also renders your own magick useless, though,

so you WON'T want to put it on any magick-users in your team. (Atheist status

also prevents you from learning the Zodiark spell; see below.) A final tactic

to survive Zodiark is to pair Construct 8 with one or more characters with

Chantage. Construct 8 has a permanent Atheist status, so Zodiark won't

KO it, and as long it's alive, the Chantage characters will revive themselves.

(Unfortunately, since Construct 8 is slow and takes a long time to get across

the battlefield, it may not be all that much help with the actual fighting.)



While Zodiark is Elidibus's main attack, you'll also need to watch out for his

Poisonous Frog, which turns characters into toads (and poisons them), rendering

them usueless. For female characters, equipping any Cachushas or Ribbons you

have may be a good idea as they will protect you from both Poison and Toad

status. Alternately, you can just use Esuna or Purification to remove the

status -- Purification is especially helpful since it doesn't need to charge.



When you reach Elidibus, attack him with your strongest abilities -- preferably

ones that hit from a distance so that he can't counterattack you. Sword

techniques, as always, are great. He's particularly vulnerable while charging

Zodiark, so be sure to attack him at these times. Attack Boost will also help

you do more damage quickly. The key to this battle is mostly just surviving

Zodiark; if you can keep one or two heavy hitters alive, you can fell him

fairly quickly.



You can learn Zodiark if Elidibus casts it on a Summoner and the Summoner

survives the spell. (Coming back to life with Reraise doesn't count; the

Summoner must NOT be KOed by the spell.) When this happens, there's a random

probability (high but not 100%) that you'll learn the spell. The easiest way

to learn the spell is to equip the Time Mage ability Mana Shield and make sure

your Bravery is reasonably high. As long as you have at least 1 MP, this

ability (when activated) causes all attacks to damage only your MP instead of

HP. So, being hit with Zodiark will empty out your MP, but leave the character

standing. If you don't learn the spell on your first attempt, use an Ether or

Chakra to get back at least 1 MP and try again. If you don't have Mana Shield,

an alternate method is to put Equip Heavy Armor on the Summoner to get his or

her HP as high as possible, then start hitting Elidibus with Rend Magick as

many times as you can (preferably using a gun, bow, or polearm to attack from a

distance, so that he can't counterattack). This will lower his magick power

and decrease the amount of damage Zodiark can do, potentially allowing your

Summoner to withstand the spell without Mana Shield. (Mana Shield is only 400

JP, though, so it's not too tough to learn.) Using the Atheist status to

temporarily reduce your Faith to 0 will NOT work; your Summoner must take at

least 1 HP damage from Zodiark in order to learn it. (Of course, it's fine to

cast Atheist on all your other characters if you want.)



Elidibus has 2600-2700 HP. If you are trying to learn Zodiark, keep track of

how much damage you're doing and don't hurt him too much until you learn the

spell. You don't want to kill him on accident. (Remember, this battle is your

only chance to learn Zodiark.)



The four hidden items are all located on the platform where Elidibus starts.

You'll have a much easier time finding them if you come back AFTER you beat

him, instead of trying to get them during the battle with Elidibus.



ITEM LOCATIONS:

(X:10, Y: 7 | height: 15) Chaos Blade

(X:12, Y: 5 | height: 15) Chirijiraden

(X:12, Y: 7 | height: 15) Elixir

(X:10, Y: 5 | height: 15) Elixir





*******************************************************************************

VI. MULTIPLAYER MODES

*******************************************************************************



%%%RENDEZVOUS MODE - GENERAL INFORMATION%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00ren0



The Rendezvous Mode is a two-player co-operative mode. It consists of 15

missions that two players tackle together. (It's not possible to play these

missions with just one player.) Completing the missions earns you items,

including a number of rare items you can only find in this mode (see below for

details).



The later missions also make for a particular challenge for FF Tactics masters,

as they're the toughest battles in the game.



---STARTING A MISSION---

Beginning midway through Chapter I, new Rendezvous Mode missions will continue

to become available as you progress through the single-player game. A mission

may be selected as long at least ONE of the two players has unlocked it, though

both players must have at least progressed through the first few battles of the

game to make the Rendezvous Mode option appear in a Taven.



To start a Rendezvous Mode mission, have each player go to the Tavern and

choose Rendezvous Mode and "Start a Mission." The hosting player (Player 1)

should choose to host a mission and the other player should choose to join.

Like Melee Mode, Rendezvous Mode can only be played over a local (ad hoc)

connection.



Each mission can be played an unlimited number of times, regardless of whether

you win or lose.



Unlike the Melee Mode, Rendezvous missions do not cost gil.



---MISSION DIFFICULTY---

The Rendezvous Mode missions that you can unlock as you play through the

single-player mode are appropriate for characters at that stage of the game.

So, the missions you unlock in Chapter II can be tackled while you're still in

Chapter II, and so on.



The experience level of the enemies you face in Rendezvous Mode scales with

your own characters' levels. So, simply leveling up won't really help you win

the battles. Of course, learning new abilities, gaining equipment, and using

the stat-raising tricks described in the Level Downs and Stat-Grinding section

*will* help you. :)



---THE RULES---

Rendezvous Mode differs from single-player combat in several ways:



* You CANNOT permanently lose items or characters in this mode. Stolen and

broken items, and items consumed using the Throw, Iaido, and Items commands,

are restored to you at the end of battle. Characters cannot permanently die

because they simply teleport out of the battle when their KO counter expires.

(Since they're not permanent deaths, these do NOT count as Casualties on your

Chronicle screen.)



Note that this makes some abilities substantially more useful in the Rendezvous

Mode since you no longer have to worry about losing rate items. Elixirs are

great for restoring HP and MP, the Masamune and Chirijiraden Iaidos can be used

freely (Masamune casts Haste and Regen on a group!) and rare weapons like the

Chaos Blade can be thrown without losing them.



* You CAN keep items that YOU obtain from chests, stealing, and catching them

from ENEMIES using Sticky Fingers. You CANNOT keep weapons caught when your

partner throws them (which would otherwise allow you to easily duplicate any

weapon :P).



* The Arithmeticks command is completely off-limits in this mode and cannot be

used.



* Monsters cannot be poached for items. Poaching a monster will still remove

it from the map, but no items will be added to the Poachers' Den.



* While the Traitor status (from Entice or Tame) can still be used to recruit

enemies onto your side for the duration of the battle, they cannot join your

team permanently afterwards.



* Only JP, not EXP or levels, is earned. In addition to earning JP, you can

also learn and keep abilities from crystals. Magick that can be learned from

being hit with it (see Various Tricks) can also be learned and kept.



Since you cannot gain levels, the Wild Boar's Bequeath Bacon is ineffective in

this mode.



* Bravery and Faith can be changed for the duration of a battle, but there are

no permanent changes.



* Your characters cannot be put under AI control.



* The game cannot be paused. (However, when one player is moving, the other

player can scroll around the map and looking at characters' status.)



* Although Bonus Gil is earned after a battle, gil cannot be gained or lost

*within* a battle from Gilgame Heart, Steal/Plunder Gil, or treasure chests.



* This isn't a Rendezvous Mode-specific rule, but it's worth noting that all of

the multiplayer-exclusive weapons cannot be thrown with the Ninja's Throw

command.



%%%RENDEZVOUS MODE - TREASURES AND RANKING%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00ren1



After winning a Rendezvous Mode battle, each player will be presented with a

ring of chests, and can open 1 to 5 of them based on your performance during

battle. (No chests are awarded if you lose.) Since these battles are a

cooperative effort, both players will always earn the same number of chests,

even if one player had his/her forces completely wiped out.



The NUMBER of chests you can open is determined by how well you fought. You

can open more chests when you....

1) Deploy fewer characters. Typically, you can deploy up to a total of 3

characters (i.e., one player deploys 1 character and the other deploys

2 characters) and still earn 5 chests, but this may vary a little from

mission to mission.

2) KO more enemies. Some missions don't require you to KO every enemy, but

KOing more of them will earn you more chests.

Having your own characters KOed or even "killed" (i.e., warped out of battle)

does NOT appear to affect the number of chests you earn. The number of turns

you take is also irrelevant.



The CONTENTS of the chests are determined by different factors:

1) The average level of your characters

2) Most missions have a "cap" on item quality. The tougher the mission, the

better the items you can get.



Note that the QUALITY and QUANTITY of items you receive are determined by

completely different factors! Even a poor performance on the later missions

will earn you a chance at rare items; you just won't get as *many* of them. On

the other hand, blowing through early missions will not get you unique items,

no matter how efficiently you fight or how high your level is.



A (probably incomplete) list of RARE items that you can win in Rendezvous Mode

is below. (I haven't listed items that can also be bought in a store, though

you'll often get these from the early missions.)



* indicates items that can ONLY be acquired in Rendezvous Mode.



WEAPONS:

Sasuke's Blade [ninja blade] Ras Algethi [gun]

Materia Blade [sword] Fomalhaut [gun]

* Moonblade [sword] Glacial Gun [gun]

Excalibur [knight's sword] Blaze Gun [gun]

Ragnarok [knight's sword] Blaster [gun]

* Durandal [knight's sword] Yoichi Bow [bow]

Chaos Blade [knight's sword] Perseus Bow [bow]

Masamune [katana] * Sagittarius Bow [bow]

Chirijiraden [katana] Dragon Whisker [polearm]

Golden Axe [axe] * Gungnir [polearm]

* Stardust Rod [rod] Fallingstar Bag [bag]

* Crown Sceptre [rod] Wyrmweave Silk [cloth]

* Dreamwaker [staff] * Deathbringer [fell sword]

Scorpion Tail [flail] * Valhalla [fell sword]



SHIELDS:

Kaiser Shield * Genji Shield

Venetian Shield * Onion Shield



HEADGEAR:

* Genji Helm [helm] Cachusha [hair adornment]

* Vanguard Helm [helm] Ribbon [hair adornment]

* Brass Coronet [hat]



ARMOR:

Genji Armor [armor] Mirage Vest [clothes]

* Onion Armor [armor] Rubber Suit [clothes]



ACCESSORIES:

* Gaius Caligae [shoes] * Sage's Ring [ring]

* Genji Glove [gauntlet] Invisibility Cloak [cloak]

* Brigand's Gloves [gauntlet] Chantage [perfume]



Of course, as noted above, not all of these items are available in every

mission. Again, the best items are only found in later missions, and your

characters must have a high level to have a chance of getting them.



In addition, there are also some items that only appear in specific missions:

MISSION ITEMS

The Guarded Temple Grand Armor, Fomalhaut

Nightmares Gungnir, Dreamwaker

Brave Story Crown Sceptre, Sage's Ring

An Ill Wind Valhalla, Vanguard Helm

(Note that the Fomalhaut isn't *really* unique to The Guarded Temple, since you

can get it quite easily in Melee Mode. But The Guarded Temple is the only

place the Fomalhaut shows up in Rendezvous Mode.)



---TITLES AND STARS---

In addition to treasures, you will also be awarded a "title" for clearing each

mission. For example, completing the Chocobo Defense mission earns you the

"Defender of the Wild" title. These titles don't do anything, they're just for

fun :)



Each title comes with a level or star rating, on a scale from 1 to 5. The star

rating is simply equal to the number of chests you were awarded at the end of

the battle. In the Tavern, the game tracks your highest star ratings for each

battle, so you can challenge yourself to try to earn 5 stars on every mission!



%%%RENDEZVOUS MISSION STRATEGIES%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00ren2



---Rendezvous Mission 1: Chocobo Defense---------------------------------------

AVAILABLE AFTER...: Visiting Gariland on the way to the Siedge Weald in

Chapter I

BATTLE MAP: Windflat Mill



Details and strategy for this mission will be added in a future update.



TITLE AWARDED: Defender of the Wild



---Rendezvous Mission 2: Chicken Race------------------------------------------

AVAILABLE AFTER...: Start of Chapter II

BATTLE MAP: Tchigolith Fenlands



Details and strategy for this mission will be added in a future update.



---Rendezvous Mission 3: Treasure Hunt-----------------------------------------

AVAILABLE AFTER...: Start of Chapter II

BATTLE MAP: Dorvauldar Marsh



Details and strategy for this mission will be added in a future update.



---Rendezvous Mission 4: Teioh-------------------------------------------------

AVAILABLE AFTER...: Story Battle 13: Zaland

BATTLE MAP: Araguay Woods



Details and strategy for this mission will be added in a future update.



---Rendezvous Mission 5: Lost Heirloom-----------------------------------------

AVAILABLE AFTER...: Story Battle 16: Goug Lowtown

BATTLE MAP: Goug Lowtown



Details and strategy for this mission will be added in a future update.



---Rendezvous Mission 6: The Fete----------------------------------------------

AVAILABLE AFTER...: Start of Chapter III

BATTLE MAP: Lionel Castle Oratory



Details and strategy for this mission will be added in a future update.



---Rendezvous Mission 7: Desert Minefield--------------------------------------

AVAILABLE AFTER...: Story Battle 26: Monastery Vaults - First Level

BATTLE MAP: Zeklaus Desert



Details and strategy for this mission will be added in a future update.



TITLE AWARDED: Bombslayer



---Rendezvous Mission 8: Littering---------------------------------------------

AVAILABLE AFTER...: Story Battle 29: Yardrow

BATTLE MAP: Gollund



Details and strategy for this mission will be added in a future update.



---Rendezvous Mission 9: Shades of the Past------------------------------------

AVAILABLE AFTER...: Start of Chapter IV

BATTLE MAP: Brigands' Den



YOUR FORCES: 1-3 characters per player

ENEMY FORCES: Milleuda, Knight (male) x5, Archer (male) x2,

White Mage (female) x2



ENEMY: Milleuda [Aquarius] - Knight - Bravery 65, Faith 65

Equipment : Defender, Crystal Shield, Crystal Helm, Crystal Mail, Chantage

Abilities : Arts of War, White Magicks, Parry, Safeguard, Move +1



There are a lot of enemies here, but they all have pretty weak jobs that are

mostly limited to physical attacks. If you bring a good defense against

physical attacks -- a good shield and Shirahadori or especially First Strike --

you'll be practically invulnerable.



The Teleport or Ignore Elevation movement abilities may also be helpful. The

enemies sometimes climb up atop the fort and stay there, and it can be

difficult to chase after them. A Jump attack with a high horizontal and

vertical range would also work.



Milleuda's Chantage will keep reviving her if she gets KOed, and she has

Safeguard, so you can't steal or break the Chantage. This means that the only

way to get rid of her is to first KO all the other enemies, and *then* finish

her off. (You could soften her up with other attacks beforehand, though

there's not much point.)



The enemy has a number of characters who can heal the other enemies. These

include both of the White Mages, as well as Milleuda, who casts Arise. You'll

want to stop them first. Even though Milleuda has Chantage, you can stop her

White Magick by using Orlandeau's Duskblade or a Dark Knight's Infernal Strike

to wipe out her MP. (You can also just KO her when she starts casting Arise;

she'll bounce back, but the spell will be canceled.) The White Mages are

pretty easy to take out, but be aware of their reaction abilities: the Mage

that starts on the right side of the fort (from your viewpoint) has Magick

Counter, and the one on the left side has Soulbind, which bounces half the

damage you do back onto you. Neither of these abilities are really that

dangerous, though, especailly because you may be able to defeat the Mages in a

single strike anyway.



Both of the White Mages also have Sortile'ge perfumes you could steal if you

want.



Milleuda's Parry will block physical attacks, but Jump and sword techniques

will crack through her defenses, or you can just attack her from behind. (Note

that for some reason she's now an Aquarius, even though she was a Virgo in the

single-player game.)



Since having a good physical defense will make you practically invincible here,

this is a great battle to deploy just a single character per player to maximize

your item haul.



TITLE AWARDED: Exorcist



---Rendezvous Mission 10: The Knights Templar----------------------------------

AVAILABLE AFTER...: Story Battle 41: Fort Besselat Sluice

BATTLE MAP: Mullonde Cathedral Nave



YOUR FORCES: 1-3 characters per player

ENEMY FORCES:

1ST BATTLE: Isilud, Wiegraf, Squire (male) x4, Archer (male) x4

2ND BATTLE: Cletienne, White Mage (female) x2, Black Mage (female) x2,

Time Mage (female) x2, Summoner (female) x3

3RD BATTLE: Barich, Chemist (male) x5, Orator (male) x4

4TH BATTLE: Folmarv [Divine Knight; Leo], Loffrey [Divine Knight; Capricorn],

Knight (male) x3, White Mage (male) x2, Dragoon (male) x2



ENEMY: Isilud [Gemini] - Nightblade - Bravery 73, Faith 63

Equipment : Defender, random other equipment

Abilities : Arts of War, random other abilities



ENEMY: Wiegraf [Virgo] - White Knight - Bravery 71, Faith 64

Equipment : Save the Queen, random other equipment

Abilities : Holy Sword, random other abilities



ENEMY: Cletienne [Gemini] - Sorceror - Bravery 51, Faith 81

Equipment : Wizard's Rod, random other equipment

Abilities : Magicks, random other abilities



ENEMY: Barich [Sagittarius] - Machinist - Bravery 64, Faith 62

Equipment : Blaster, random other equipment

Abilities : Aimed Shot, Safeguard, random other abilities



This mission occurs in four successive "trials," with each trial pitting you

against some of the Knights Templar plus a lot of generic enemies with themed

jobs. This works a little differently from anything in the single-player game,

in that you jump directly from one battle to the next, with no chance to heal

or change equipment. And unlike the multiphase Lucavi battles in the single-

player game, any "buffs" you cast on yourself do not carry over from one battle

to the next, so using Focus or Tailwind a lot during the first battle will not

help you with the later ones :(



In each trial, you must defeat all the enemies (not just the Knights Templar)

to advance to the next one.



Because there's four battles here, it's advisable to equip your characters for

the long haul. You'll need abilities to heal yourself with, like Items or an

attack that drains HP (such as the Dark Knight's Sanguine Sword or Orlandeau's

Shadowblade). Protection against Immobilize or Disable is also important; you

can get this from equipping a Guardian Bracelet or Thief's Cap. Shirahadori

and a high Bravery is also quite useful for blocking enemy attacks. Finally,

Safeguard will be helpful in stopping the Unyielding Blade attacks used in the

fourth trial.



The first round pits you against Wiegraf and Isilud, plus some Squires and

Archers. The Squires all start in a plus-shaped formation and can be easily

hit with an area-effect attack like Hallowed Bolt or Black Magick at the

beginning of the battle. They're actually mostly harmless, so if there's any

left standing after your initial attack, you may want to leave them be and

concentrate on the other enemies. Wiegraf is probably the toughest enemy here.

(Isilud no longer has his super-powered Jump attack that he used in Orbonne

Monastery, so he isn't much of a threat.) The enemies often get pretty bunched

up, so attacks that can hit a group are useful!



Before you finish off the last enemy, you may want to stop and heal yourself

since you will not otherwise be healed between battles.



When all the enemies in the first trial are KOed, you'll fade to the second

trial. This one includes Cletienne and a slew of magick users. If you move

forward quickly, you can probably take out both Black Mages with a group attack

before they can do anything. The "cone" attack pattern of the Dark Knight's

Abyssal Blade is especially powerful here; if you move forward and use it

immediately, you can strike a huge swath of the enemy forces. In general, the

enemies in this trial are even more apt to get into large groups, so take

advantage of this by hitting them with area-effect attacks.



If you take out the Black Mages and then the Summoners, the enemies won't be

able to hurt you much. They'll keep healing themselves and casting buffs,

which is *annoying*, but they can't really hurt you and you can quickly re-KO

any enemies that get revived. Using the Orator's Insult ability can also be

effective; mass-Berserking the enemies keeps them from casting magick and their

physical attacks are weak.



Since the enemies here typically know a lot of magick, this can also be a

decent opportunity to learn some magick abilities if you let the enemies decay

into crystals after being KOed. Use Duskblade, Infernal Strike, or Rend MP to

steal all the MP from the last enemy and you're pretty much free to let the

other enemies decay.



The third trial is probably the trickiest. You're fighting ten gun-wielders --

Barich, 5 Chemists, and 4 Orators -- and they start so spread out that you can

only attack one at a time. Actually, if you have Shirahadori and a good

Bravery, this isn't too bad because you can block even gun attacks with

Shirahadori and they won't be able to hurt you. If you don't have Shirahadori,

at least equip something to boost your elemental defense (since many of the

enemies have magick guns). A Venetian or Reverie Shield, White or Sage's Robe,

or Minerva Bustier all work great for this purpose, and even a Flame Shield can

work in a pinch, although it's not quite as effective. (The Ice Shield is not

a good idea since it also renders you weak to the lightning attacks from the

Blaster guns.)



Barich is the real threat here, since he can inflict Immobilize and Disable

from a distance. If you don't have any defense against Immobilize or Disable,

you'll need to take him out immediately. (Being Disabled also keeps you from

using Shirahadori to defend yourself!) This whole trial is pretty annoying

since the enemies keep using items to heal and revive each other.



Finally, the fourth trial features Folmarv and Loffrey and an assortment of

Knights, Dragoons, and White Mages. Folmarv and Loffrey have been upgraded to

??? HP status, meaning it will take a lot of damage to defeat them. However,

if you have Safeguard, they can't use their Unyielding Blade techniques. (They

may have some backup magick techniques, but they're not too bad.)



Move forward and quickly attack the three Knights with a group attack. You'll

probably want to target the Dragoons next. The Dragoons have a habit of moving

as far from you as possible and launching Jump attacks from there, so attacking

them before they can move too far is helpful. (Of course, if you have your own

Jump attack, it's no problem.) The White Mages tend not to actually have much

in the way of magick, so you may want to save them for last. Note that Folmarv

and Loffrey have Safeguard, so Unyielding Blade is not effective against them.



Completing this battle earns you an invitation to the Knights Templar! Too

bad Ramza turns it down ;)



TITLE AWARDED: Templar's Apprentice



---Rendezvous Mission 11: All-Star Melee---------------------------------------

AVAILABLE AFTER...: Story Battle 52: Mullonde Cathedral Sanctuary

BATTLE MAP: Gariland



YOUR FORCES: 1-3 characters per player

ENEMY FORCES: Ramza, Mustadio, Agrias, Rapha, Marach, Beowulf, Reis, Orlandeau,

Meliadoul



ENEMY: Ramza [Capricorn] - Knight - Bravery 70, Faith 70

Equipment : Ragnarok, Venetian Shield, Crystal Helm, Crystal Mail,

Guardian Bracelet

Abilities : Arts of War, Items, First Strike, Safeguard, Move +3



ENEMY: Mustadio [Libra] - Machinist - Bravery 60, Faith 62

Equipment : Blaster, Thief's Cap, Black Garb, Japa Mala

Abilities : Aimed Shot, Arts of War, Soulbind, Defense Boost, Move +3



ENEMY: Agrias [Cancer] - Holy Knight - Bravery 71, Faith 63

Equipment : Excalibur, Crystal Shield, Crystal Helm, Crystal Armor, Ribbon

Abilities : Holy Sword, White Magicks, Shirahadori, Safeguard, Move +2



ENEMY: Rapha [Pisces] - Skyseer - Bravery 31, Faith 69

Equipment : Eight-fluted Pole, Thief's Cap, Black Garb, Septie`me

Abilities : Sky Mantra, White Magicks, Soulbind, Swiftness, Move +2



ENEMY: Marach [Gemini] - Netherseer - Bravery 69, Faith 31

Equipment : Eight-fluted Pole, Thief's Cap, Black Garb, Japa Mala

Abilities : Nether Mantra, Items, Soulbind, Swiftness, Manafont



ENEMY: Beowulf [Libra] - Templar - Bravery 45, Faith 65

Equipment : Ragnarok, Crystal Shield, Crystal Helm, Crystal Armor, Angel Ring

Abilities : Spellblade, Martial Arts, First Strike, Safeguard, Move +3



ENEMY: Reis [Pisces] - Dragonkin - Bravery 62, Faith 64

Equipment : Cachusha, Septie`me

Abilities : Dragon, White Magicks, First Strike, Brawler, Move +2



ENEMY: Orlandeau [Scorpio] - Sword Saint - Bravery 77, Faith 65

Equipment : Excalibur, Crystal Shield, Crystal Helm, Crystal Armor, Japa Mala

Abilities : Swordplay, Iaido, Mana Shield, Safeguard, Manafont



ENEMY: Meliadoul [Capricorn] - Divine Knight - Bravery 67, Faith 78

Equipment : Defender, Crystal Shield, Crystal Helm, Crystal Armor, Septie`me

Abilities : Unyielding Blade, Items, Shirahadori, Attack Boost, Lifefont



This is a battle against many of your own story characters--or at least some

very accurate impostors. Your doppelgangers have mastered many of the game's

most advanced abilities and techniques, making this a tough battle. On the

bright side, all of them just have regular HP totals.



Orlandeau, Mustadio, and Meliadoul love to break your equipment, so you'll

want to equip Safeguard. (Or, you can deploy Balthier as a Sky Pirate, since

this job has an innate Safeguard.) Even though any broken equipment is

returned to you at the end of the battle in Rendezvous Mode, having your gear

broken during the fight will make it tough to win.



You'll also need protection against Mustadio's Immobilize and Disable attacks;

a Thief's Cap, Guardian Bracelet, or Ribbon will take care of this. The Ribbon

is particularly helpful as it negates all of the other status ailments that

Beowulf will try to throw you.



Shirahadori and First Strike are not that helpful here since they won't protect

you from the special job techniques used by the enemy. Instead, Mana Shield

and Manafont is probably your best best.



Finally, be aware that the clones' Zodiac signs often match up poorly with some

of your story characters'. A quick guide to a few of the key characters you

may be using:

GOOD AGAINST THESE ENEMIES: BAD AGAINST THESE ENEMIES:

Agrias Ramza, Rapha, Reis, Orlandeau Mustadio, Beowulf, Meliadoul

Beowulf Marach Ramza, Agrias, Meliadoul

Reis Agrias, Orlandeau Marach

Balthier No one Orlandeau

Orlandeau Agrias, Marach, Reis No one

Meliadoul No one Mustadio, Agrias, Beowulf

In summary, Beowulf and Meliadoul have bad comptability and are less useful

here -- plus many of the enemies have Safeguard and are protected against

Meliadoul's Unyielding Blade attacks anyway. Orlandeau and Reis have

advantageous compatibility. Agrias is a mixed bag, so if you use her, make

sure you supplement her with another character or two with a different sign.



Player 1 has it especially tough as his/her team starts near Orlandeau, Reis,

and Mustadio, who will immediately attack Player 1's team. Attacking with HP-

draining attacks like Sanguine Sword [Dark Knight], Orlandeau's Shadowblade,

are useful since they let you damage while still recovering HP. If you're

trying to complete this battle with a small number of characters, be sure to

equip Player 1 as defensively as possible. You may have to resort to giving

Player 1 items that yield a permanent Reraise (e.g. Chantage or Brave Suit) and

letting him/her get KOed and regenerate. If you use this strategy, Player 2

will need to play as defensively as possible since if s/he gets KOed too, you

lose!



If you're not fully equipped with Ribbons, Beowulf should probably be your

first target, since he can inflict all kinds of status ailments on you. Note

that his Angel Ring lets him Reraise once after you KO him, so be prepared to

KO him a second time shortly after you take him out once.



Reis, Agrias, and Orlandeau are the next characters you'll want to attack.

Reis and particularly Agrias can be taken out fairly quickly. The enemy

Orlandeau has unfortunately figured out the Mana Shield/Manafont combo, which

means it will definitely take several attacks to KO him. So even though

Orlandeau is the biggest threat, you may want to first KO a few of the other

enemies (like Reis and Agrias), just to quickly reduce the number attacking you

at one time.



If you have Safeguard, Meliadoul is reduced to just using physical attacks.

Ramza is a Knight in this battle and also pretty much just uses physical

attacks. You can worry about them later. Rapha and Marach are as irrelevant

in this battle as in most of the game, so finish them off last.



Climbing up on the roofs can be somewhat helpful, as long as you have attacks

you can use from there up. While the roof won't help you escape the sword

techniques (which have infinite vertical range), it at least makes it harder

for Meliadoul, Ramza, and Reis to attack you.



Note that if one of the enemies gets lowered to critical HP, he or she may just

run into the corner. It's pretty safe to ignore such enemies and save them for

last. They're not going to attack you, so focus your attacks on the enemies

who are still a threat.



Three of the enemies -- the Rapha, Marach, and Mustadio clones -- have

Soulbind. This tends not to be too much of a problem, since you may be able to

KO them in a single attack anyway. Plus, they're the weaker enemies, so you

can save them to KO later.



Finally, a number of the clones (Ramza, Marach, and Meliadoul) can use Items as

a command. In practice, this isn't too bad since they mostly will just use

regular Potions on themselves, which is about the least threatening action

possible. They also don't have Throw Items, so they can't heal anyone from a

distance. However, they may sometimes revive KOed allies with a Phoenix Down.

If this happens, you can use an area-effect attack to KO the character again

*and* hit the Items-user. (Since they don't have Throw Items, they'll have

to stand in a tile adjacent to the downed tile to use the Phoenix Down.)



Although the clones have a lot of good equipment, most of it is protected with

Safeguard and so there's not actually much you can claim. You're limited to

Meliadoul's Defender, Reis's Cachusha and Septie`me, Mustadio's Blaster, and

Rapha's Septie`me.



TITLE AWARDED: Performer









The following four missions are only available after completing the main quest

of the single-player game. After the ending, the game will add an additional

"flag" to your save directory that makes these missions accessible. Load up a

save from before you entered the final sequences of a battle, go to a Tavern,

and you'll see the last missions.



You will NOT be able to access these missions if your only save is in the

final sequence of battles :( -- you need to be able to get to a Tavern.



---Rendezvous Mission 12: The Guarded Temple-----------------------------------

AVAILABLE AFTER...: Completing single-player game and Nelveska Temple quest

BATTLE MAP: Nelveska Temple



YOUR FORCES: 1-3 characters per player

ENEMY FORCES: Construct 2 [Automaton] x1, Construct 3 [Automaton] x7,

Protoconstruct [Automaton] x2



You must defeat all ten Automatons before they self-destruct and destroy the

temple. This battle really centers around the two Protoconstructs, both of

whom start atop the temple. They control the countdown; every time one of gets

another turn, the countdown ticks down one "minute" from 10. If the countdown

drops to 0, the Automatons explode and you lose. The countdown can only be

stopped by defeating at least one of the Protoconstructs. (Since they take

turns counting down, defeating one will stop the whole process.) To make

things more tricky, on the turn when the countdown is "supposed" to go to 8,

the Automatons experience a "system error" and it jumps all the way down to 4.

This means that you must defeat at least one Protoconstruct within the time it

takes for the Protoconstructs to get 7 turns.



Unfortunately, taking them out isn't easy since both Protoconstructs have

tremendous amounts of HP. If you're at level 90+, they will have several

thousand. Plus, there are 8 other Automatons as well.



On the bright side, you may bring up to FOUR characters into battle (combined

across the two players) and still receive a 5-star ranking! And you will need

all four :)



Sword techniques are your weapon of choice here, so you'll want to have each

player deploy Agrias and Orlandeau (or possibly Meliadoul). You'll need to

maximize both your speed and attack power. Use the Tynar Rouge (for

Agrias/Meliadoul) or the Brigand's Gloves (for Orlandeau) to give them a

permanent Haste, and add a Move +x ability to increase your mobility across the

map. To maximize your attack power, equip them with Chaos Blades and either

Vehemence [Dark Knight] or Attack Boost [Geomancer] as a support ability.

(If you have it, Vehemence is probably best as it will give you the bigger

attack boost. It does lower your defense, but this is one battle where the

best defense is a good offense :) -- if you can smash the regular Constructs

quickly, you have far fewer sources of damage to contend with.)



Since you'll need to focus on offense, you won't have much time for healing.

Equip your best armor and helms to boost your starting HP as high as possible.

You'll face no status attacks here, so Ribbons are unnecessary. Chaos Blades

will also help you a little by giving you a permanent Regen. Potentially, you

could also use Sanguine Sword or Shadowblade to drain HP during the battle,

although you don't want to be doing this too often -- it's not as strong an

attack as some others, and can only strike one enemy at a time. If you have a

Brave Suit (from Melee Mode) or Grand Armor (from a previous victory here), you

will definitely want to use those as they give you a permanent Reraise and you

don't have to worry about your HP at all.



There aren't really any especially great reaction abilities here, since NOTHING

can block the Dispose laser attack. Probably you're best off with First

Strike; it only works against the Constructs' regular attacks, but it may give

you a chance to get a few more hits in. If you're having trouble surviving,

you can use Mana Shield and Manafont, though this will require you to give up

any other movement ability. You can also swap Vehemence out for Attack Boost

(which doesn't lower your defense) if you have low HP.



If one player has a somewhat stronger team, you'll want to make that player

Player 2 since Player 2 starts a little closer to the stairs and the

Protoconstructs.



OK, enough preparation. Onto the battle!



When you start out, rush forward and attack the Constructs on the ground with

Hallowed Bolt and Divine Ruination. You should be able to defeat each one in

one or two hits. Try to aim your attacks so you can hit as many as possible at

one time. (In addition to using Hallowed Bolt, you can also move into the

enemy ranks and fire Divine Ruinations parallel to the front of the temple.

This is often a great targeting strategy for hitting 2 or 3 Constructs.) As

each character takes his or her turn, move them as far towards the stairs as

you can while still attacking the Constructs. Essentially, you want to "sweep"

across the front of the temple, taking out the Constructs from left to right

and moving towards the stairs.



You should be able to defeat most of the Constructs before more than a handful

of them move. Quickly mop up the remaining ones as you head for the stairs.

If you do need healing, you can use Shadowblade or Sanguine Sword to finish off

any remaining Constructs and sap their HP.



If you weaken one of the Constructs, it may just run and hide in the corner.

Leave it -- it's harmless and not worth chasing after when you need to defeat

the Protoconstructs ASAP.



Once you reach the Protoconstructs, concentrate all your attacks on one of the

two. Once you defeat one Protoconstruct, the countdown should stop and you're

home free!



Attack the Protoconstructs with Divine Ruination and Crush Armor, both of

which do identical amounts of damage to monster targets. When available,

Divine Ruination is slightly preferred as it is has a chance of Confusing the

Protoconstructs, who are NOT immune to Confusion! But, before you use Divine

Ruination, make sure that it won't hit any of your own allies and that the

Protoconstruct you're targeting is within its vertical range. If you can't use

Divine Ruination, Crush Armor works fine too and has no friendly fire

potential.



Wherever possible, stand in one place and attack without moving. This will

allow you to get new turns more quickly.



Like Construct 7, both Protoconstructs have a Reraise that activates the first

time they are KOed. They will return to action and immediately attack again.

Actually, this isn't such a problem, because the self-inflicted HP loss from

their Tasks abilities usually KOs them right away. Once KOed a second time,

they immediately turn into chests (which seem to always contain Bracers).



The battle won't actually end until you've KOed every last Construct, but once

you defeat one of the Protoconstructs, you don't have any more time pressure

and should have no trouble mopping the remaining bots.



There's a certain amount of luck involved in this battle, since the Constructs'

Zodiac signs are randomly determined and you may end up with good or bad

compatibility purely by chance.



The treasures from this battle include two you can't find anywhere else in

Rendezvous Mode. One is the Grand Armor, the best heavy armor available, as it

gives you a permanent Reraise and Regen. This one is definitely worth getting!

The other is the Fomalhaut gun, which is thoroughly pointless to look for here,

as Fomalhauts are abundant in Melee Mode.



Again, keep in mind that you can deploy 4 characters and still get the highest

possible ranking here.



TITLE AWARDED: Construct

UNIQUE POSSIBLE TREASURES: Grand Armor, Fomalhaut



---Rendezvous Mission 13: Nightmares-------------------------------------------

AVAILABLE AFTER...: Completing single-player game

BATTLE MAP: Limberry Castle Undercroft



YOUR FORCES: 1-3 characters per player

ENEMY FORCES:

1st Squad - Zalera [Death Seraph; Gemini], Adremmelch [The Wroth; Scorpio],

Ultima Demon x3

2nd Squad - Cuchulainn [The Impure; Scorpio], Belias [The Gigas; Virgo],

Hashmal [Bringer of Order; Leo], Ultima Demon x2



You're battling all of the Lucavi (sans Elidibus) at once, plus five Ultima

Demons. Player 1 will begin battling Zalera and Adremmelech's group, while

Player 2 fights the three other Lucavi.



Between the five of them, the Lucavi can throw a lot of status conditions at

you, so you'll need to equip Ribbons (or Onion Gloves, if you're using Onion

Knights). Fortunately, the Lucavi don't seem to have any of the magick attacks

they used in the single-player game. If you have Ribbons, all they can do is

use physical attacks. This means you can pretty much prevent them from hurting

you at all if you combine a Ribbon with Shirahadori or (preferably) First

Strike, or even just a good shield.



In fact, if you have Ribbons and Shirahadori/First Strike, the Ultima Demons

are actually the biggest threat, since they use magick attacks. Go after them

first. The Dark Knight's Sanguine Sword can be useful for draining HP from

them to keep you healthy. The White Mage's Arcane Defense is also a useful

support ability to reduce the magick damage you take. (If you're being

targeted by an Ultima Demon's magick, you can also try moving next to another

enemy, as their magicks can hurt friendly targets as well.)



Because all of the enemies here have the Can't Enter Water "ability," the water

in the middle of the map functions as a safe spot. The Ultima Demons can still

hit you with their magick if they get close enough, but the Lucavi can't attack

you at all (assuming you're guarded against status conditions). You can jump

directly into the water from the bridge in the center if you have a Jump of at

least 4, or Waterwalking, Levitation, Ignore Elevation, or Teleport. If you

don't have these abilities, you can also get in the water by using the little

"step" (a tile of height 3) on side of the map. It's on the side of the map

WITHOUT the gravestones. From the water, you can safely throw ranged attacks

at the enemies. Actually, if you have First Strike or Shirahadori and a high

Bravery, there isn't much benefit to this, since the Lucavi can't hurt you

anyway, and you may not be in range to attack the Ultima Demons.



Watch out for the Ultima Demons turn to crystals. The Lucavi can pick up these

crystals up to restore some of their HP (though fortunately not all of it).

This isn't fatal, but can be annoying! Grab the crystals as soon as they

appear, and if you see a KOed Ultima Demon about to disappear, try to position

yourself between the enemies and the body so that they can't grab the crystal

before you can. The Lucavi themselves explode when KOed and do not leave

crystals.



With Ribbons and First Strike, this battle actually goes quite quickly -- not

only are you virtually invulnerable, you'll quickly defeat the Lucavi because

their attempts to attack you get turned into additional attack opportunities.

That makes this battle a great one to repeatedly tackle to acquire high-level

rare items. Each player can deploy just a single character to increase your

treasure haul.



The two unique treasures you can obtain here are the Gungnir spear and the

Dreamwaker staff. The Gungnir isn't really special -- it's weaker than the

Javelin II. The Dreamwaker is the best staff in the game; although it doesn't

have the strongest attack power, it boosts your magick power more than any

other staff.



TITLE AWARDED: Dreamcatcher

UNIQUE POSSIBLE TREASURES: Gungnir, Dreamwaker



---Rendezvous Mission 14: Brave Story------------------------------------------

AVAILABLE AFTER...: Completing single-player game

BATTLE MAP: Monastery Vaults - Fifth Level



YOUR FORCES: 1-3 characters per player

ENEMY FORCES:

1ST BATTLE: Luso, Cloud, Chocobo x3, Black Chocobo x3, Red Chocobo x2

2ND BATTLE: Mustadio, Balthier, Chemist (male) x2, Chemist (female) x2,

Orator (male) x2, Orator (female) x2

3RD BATTLE: Onion Knight (male) x2, Onion Knight (female) x3, Sekhret x2,

Cockatrice x2, Plague Horror x1

4TH BATTLE: Cuchulainn [The Impure; Scorpio], Elidibus [Serpentarius],

Great Malboro x5, Knight (male, undead) x3

5TH BATTLE: Dycedarg, Zalbaag, Gaffgarion, Argath, Dragoon (male) x6

6TH BATTLE: Orlandeau, Agrias, Alma, Ovelia, Rapha, Marach, Orran,

Time Mage (female) x2, Mystic (male) x1

7TH BATTLE: Elmdore, Zalbaag, Celia, Lettie, Archaeodemon x6

8TH BATTLE: Bremondt, Beowulf, Aliste, Reis, Hydra x2, Greater Hydra x2,

Tiamat x2

9TH BATTLE: Isilud, Meliadoul, Barich, Cletienne, Loffrey, Wiegraf, Folmarv,

Zalmour, Time Mage (female) x2

10TH BATTLE: Delita [Sagittarius; Holy Knight], Valmafra [Leo; Sorceror],

Dark Knight (female) x8



If you thought The Knights Templar was long, this one is even longer! FFT's

100-Man Melee, the Brave Story mission consists of no fewer than TEN continuous

battles, each with 10 opponents, for a total of 100 enemies. You'll face off

against most of the game's story characters in the game here.



Orlandeau and Agrias are really the best characters here, since their sword

techniques work on everything. Meliadoul would also work, but only if

supplemented with some other good attack command (e.g. Darkness, or maybe

Jump) since some enemies have Safeguard and are immune to her Crush attacks.

Other good abilities to have here are Darkness and Arts of War (for equipment

and MP breaking). A long-range Jump can be useful in some situations, but

there are a lot of enemies here who have Shirahadori and can block it.



A few key defensive abilities will actually protect you almost everything here.

First, Shirahadori and a high Bravery will stop physical attacks. Safeguard

will make you immune to Crush attacks, and also keep your equipment from being

stolen or rent. Finally, equip female characters with a Ribbon (easily

obtained in Melee Mode or elsewhere in Rendezvous Mode) to stop all status

attacks, and male characters with a Thief's Cap to at least stop Immobilize and

Disable. With these abilities, there are actually only a few enemies here that

pose a real threat.



As with The Knights Templar, you won't be healed between battles, so having

some healing abilities is important. Carrying a Chaos Blade actually helps a

lot with this, since it gives you a permanent Regen. If you have a powerful

HP-draining attack -- Orlandeau's Shadowblade or the Dark Knight's Sanguine

Sword -- you're set. Armor that gives you an auto-Reraise -- i.e., the Brave

Suit from Melee Mode or the Grand Armor from The Guarded Temple -- will also

help out a lot. Otherwise, you might want to consider giving one character an

Action Ability that lets him or her heal (e.g. Items, Martial Arts, White

Magick, Iaido, or Summon). Before wrapping up each battle, you can leave one

enemy standing and take some time to heal characters.



Note that broken equipment and status ailments WILL be restored between

battles. Buffs will also disappear, so using Tailwind during the first battle

will not help you later on, alas.



Equipping the Tynar Rouge or a Brigand's Gloves will give you a permanent

Haste, which is quite useful both in giving you the edge against the enemies

and in reducing the time needed to hack through all ten levels.



Move +2 or Move +3 is probably the best movement ability here. Since you're

fighting on a map with a lot of holes, though, you might also consider the

Time Mage's Levitate ability, which will let you move anywhere you want and

saves you from having to take detours around the holes.



Also note that you CAN target "hole" panels, even though you can't see your

targeting cursor. This is often useful when a hole happens to be a good place

to center a Hallowed Bolt.



Since many of the enemies here have Shirahadori or First Strike and physical

attacks are ineffective against them, using Onion Knights (even fully powered

up ones) is probably not a good idea.



Finally, it's worth pointing out that this mission is LONG. You and your

partner will need to set aside a fair amount of time to clear all ten battles.



Now for strategies for specific battles:



The first battle pits you against Luso, Cloud, and 8 chocobos. Cloud has

Swiftness to help his Limits charge faster, but even still, you can probably

take him out before he can use them. (He has Shirahadori, so don't try direct

physical attacks.) After Cloud, the Red Chocobos are the next enemies to take

out since their Choco Meteor attack is unblockable and does a lot of damage.

Luso doesn't really have any special abilities and isn't much of a threat.



Battle two is against 10 gunfighters, including Mustadio and Balthier.

Shirahadori will be very helpful here in avoiding the enemy gun attacks. If

you have Shirahadori and gear to protect against the Bunansas' Arm Shots and

Leg Shots, you can't really be hurt here. If you're not protected against

Immobilize or Disable, you could try Purification or Esuna to restore

characters who do get Immobilized or Disabled. (If you're just Immobilized,

you can even use it on yourself.) Remember that Balthier's Sky Pirate job has

an innate Safeguard, so Crush skills will not work against him. He also has an

Angel Ring, which means that you will have to KO him twice. Or, simply attack

him last. (Since he takes a while to take down, you might want him to attack

him last anyway.)



Battle three pits you against the Motley Onion Fighting Outfit plus some

assorted monsters. Try to KO the Plague Horror and Cockatrices quickly since

they can inflict status ailments on any characters that don't have Ribbons.

The Sekhrets are the next targets since their Earthsplitter attack is pretty

powerful. (If you're using Levitate, though, you'll be immune to this attack.)



Although Onion Knights can't normally equip abilities, the Fighting Outfit has

them anyway. With Shirahadori, though, they're mostly harmless, so take out

the monsters first. Red, Green, and Blue basically just use physical attacks,

which you can easily deflect. Purple uses Jump attacks; these can also be

blocked by Shirahadori, but it makes him harder to hit. Be sure to attack him

when you get the chance. Yellow is pretty annoying because she tends to runs

into a corner and use Dance. Plus, she has Mana Shield, so she takes several

attacks to defeat. You may want to chase after her and start attacking her

first.



The Onion Knights all have Safeguard, so, again, Crush skills are out. This

also means that you can't steal any of their equipment, which is unfortunate,

as it's quite good!



Battle 4 is where it starts getting a little more interesting. Here you'll

face Elidibus, Cuchulainn, three undead Knights, and five Great Malboros. The

Great Malboros' Bad Breath can be quite dangerous for characters who don't have

a Ribbon. You may want such characters to keep their distance from the

Malboros. The Malboros have quite high HP and may take multiple attacks to

KO, so focus your attacks on one or two until you take themdown.



If you have someone with Items, use Phoenix Downs to quickly defeat the enemy

Knights; if you're using Balthier (or Mustadio), Seal Evil is even better.

Remember NOT to try draining HP from undead enemies, as it actually hurts you!

Of course, if you don't petrify the knights, they may revive later, but since

they're pretty weak, it's not much to worry about.



Instead, focus on breaking through the enemy line so you can reach Elidibus.

He can still cast Zodiark which, of course, makes him the biggest threat.

He's not quite as dangerous as he was on Terminus, though, just because the map

is smaller and you should be able to reach him before he can cast the summon.

One strategy you may want to use, then, is just to wipe out his MP so he can't

Zodiark. Two Rend MPs will do it, or you can use Duskblade or Infernal Strike.

Even if Elidibus has no MP, he can still use Poisonous Frog (which doesn't cost

MP) to frog you, but this can't kill you and will be removed at the end of the

battle. Cuchulainn will probably just use Nightmare to put you to sleep,

which, while annoying, is relatively harmless. You're better off defeating

Elidibus first, *then* going after him. The enemies here use a lot of status

attacks, but with at least one Ribbon, you should be OK, and all of the status

ailments are removed for the start of the next battle.



If you didn't learn Zodiark from Elidibus during the single-player game, or

want to have additional characters learn it, you can learn it here as well.

It's probably actually easier to learn here as you have a good opportunity to

use Rend Magick on Elidibus and make the summon less deadly.



Battle 5 pits you against Duke Larg's forces, including a plethora of Dragoons.

Gaffgarion and Dycedarg use sword techniques, making them the most dangerous,

and Gaffgarion's allow him to steal HP back to himself! However, Dycedarg

does not have the Magicks command that he used in Eagrose Castle, and this

version of Zalbaag does not have Vampire. (Note that Argath and Gaffgarion

seem to have switched Zodiac signs from Virgo to Scorpio!)



You can often hit multiple Dragoons with your initial attacks. Some are

arranged in a plus-shape formation that you can hit with Hallowed Bolt or other

area-effect targets. If you look closely, you'll also see that many are

arranged in a horizontal line; Divine Explosion, Kiku-ichimonji, Shockwave, or

other attacks that strike along a long line can hit many of these. You can

probably KO a majority of the Dragoons in your initial attacks.



As long as you have Shirahadori and good Bravery, the other Dragoons can't hurt

you much. So, target Dycedarg and Gaffgarion next because of their powerful

sword techniques. Argath is totally useless here (he just has a crossbow), so

you can leave him for later.



When Dycedarg's team goes down, you're halfway through! Next up is a tricky

battle against a large assortment of your own allies, including Orlandeau,

Agrias, Ovelia, Alma, Rapha, Marach, and Orran. You'll now be on the receiving

end of Orran's Celestial Stasis ability. If you have Ribbons and Thief's Caps,

though, you're mostly immune to it. (Characters with Thief's Caps can still

be Stopped, but that's all.) He shouldn't even try to cast it. If you *don't*

have status protections, though, you'll need to make a beeline for Orran and

take him out before he can paralyze your whole crew.



Otherwise, Agrias and Orlandeau should be your first targets because of their

powerful sword techniques. Agrias's Save the Queen gives her a permanent

Protect, which makes her slow to defeat. Try using Crush Weapon to break it.

(She also has Shirahadori, so Jump or physical attacks will not work.)



Once you defeat Agrias and Orlandeau, you'll probably want to go after Alma

and Ovelia next. As in the main storyline, they mostly cast their Aegis buff.

This can make other enemies tough to defeat, but Alma and Ovelia always cast it

on themselves, so you've got some time to catch up to them and defeat them.

Watch out for their Soulbind! They have so little HP that you may be able to

just circumvent Soulbind by KOing them in a single attack, though. (This will

be a little tougher if they cast Aegis on themselves and have Shell/Protect;

you could try dispeling those effects if you have an ability that will do so.)

If they did succeed in casting Aegis on themselves, they'll have a Reraise that

lets them return after the KO. So, stay close to them after KOing the first

time. When they wake up, quickly KO them again before they can cast Aegis a

second time. Note that Alma has a very high Faith, so magick would do a lot of

damage to her.



Rapha and Marach are, as always, not really worth worrying about until the end.



In Battle 7, you'll face Elmdore's forces, including Elmdore, Celia, Lettie,

the zombie version of Zalbaag, and some Archaeodemons. Elmdore is equipped

much as he was before, and you can't still get his Genji stuff. Celia and

Lettie still have their Subdual Arts abilities, and all four humans (including

Celia and Lettie!) now have the ability to turn you into Vampires. This causes

a character to go Berserk and start trying to Vampire other characters,

including your own allies! This can be pretty dangerous, especially since you

lose the battle if all characters get turned into a Vampire. Shirahadori does

not block the Vampire attack, but having a Ribbon will at least protect you

from the Vampire status if not the damage from the attack. If one of your male

characters does get turned into a Vampire (as signified by the bat icon), keep

your other characters clear of him. There's not much that can cure Vampire

status, only the Holy Water item. (The status will also be removed at the end

of the battle, of course.)



The good news is that Celia and Lettie are in perfect position for a Hallowed

Bolt at the start of the battle. You can probably also attack multiple

Archaeodemons at once. Unlike in Limberry, Celia and Lettie do NOT turn into

Ultima Demons when KOed. Zalbaag, for some reason, seems to turn into a

crystal immediately upon being KOed. Grab it before any wounded enemy can.



Elmdore has a lot of HP and will probably take several attacks, so you may want

to focus on eliminating the other humans first. The Archaeodemons like to

retreat into a corner of the map to cast their magicks; a long-range Jump

attack is good for defeating them, if you happen to have it. At any rate, they

don't have that much HP, so you can hopefully defeat them in one hit.



Battle 8 pits you the characters from Beowulf's storyline, plus an assortment

of hydras. This is probably the toughest battle in the sequence: Beowulf and

Aliste can inflict status ailments, the hydras do big damage (and their breath

attacks can't be blocked with Shirahadori), Reis can support the hydras, and

Bremondt and Reis can both Raise KOed allies.



If you can move quickly, you can hit Beowulf and Aliste with a Hallowed Bolt

before they can move. You'll want to take them out first because of the status

ailments they can inflict.



If you have your own Reis deployed, you should be able to use Dragon's Charm to

invite the hydras onto your team. This is quite helpful, as it not only

reduces the number of enemies you're fighting but gives you an extra helping

hand. (They won't stay with you past this round, though.)



Although the hydras are the ones doing the damage here, you'll probably have to

KO Bremondt and Reis first. Otherwise, they'll just keep healing or Raising

the hydras. (Orlandeau can do a lot of damage to Reis because of his Zodiac

compatibility.) Using HP-drain attacks will help a lot as it helps you keep up

your HP while still doing damage. Hydras that are low on HP may flee into a

corner, and you can just leave them there until you defeat the others.



On to the next-to-last battle! Here you'll fight all the Knights Templar.

This is also a tricky battle, especially because most of them have Excaliburs

(giving them an auto-Haste) and all have 97 Bravery, which means their reaction

abilities activate quite frequently.



If you have Safeguard, you'll be protected against their Crush attacks and they

pretty much have to resort to physical attacks, which you should be able to

block with Shirahadori. This makes Wiegraf the most dangerous; he uses Holy

Sword techniques, which do a LOT of damage, Safeguard or no Safeguard!



Hit Isilud and Meliadoul straight off with a Hallowed Bolt, then go after

Wiegraf. Unfortunately, Wiegraf has Mana Shield, which means you'll need to be

ready with a couple of attacks to take him down. Using Crush Weapon (or even

just Rend Weapon) is extremely effective here. None of the Templars have

Safeguard in this battle, and breaking their Excaliburs will take away their

Haste and disable their sword techniques.



Watch out for Loffrey's Soulbind! You probably can't defeat him in one hit, so

you'll just have to take the hits from Soulbind as you whack him away at him.

Make sure you don't attack him unless you can receive back half the damage you

deal (unless you have a Reraise, in which case you can attack him with

impunity!) Another good tactic is to use Shadowblade and Sanguine Sword to

attack him; while the HP drain effect occurs BEFORE you take the damage from

Soulbind, it at least keeps your HP up. Cletienne and Zalmour also have Magick

Counter, but unless you're using magick, you don't need to worry about this.



If you have Shirahadori and protection against Immobilize/Disable, Barich is

basically harmless, so save him for later (especially since his Mana Shield

makes him slow to go down). Zalmour is similarly useless: while in principle

he can heal the other Knights, in practice he just tries physical attacks, plus

he's extremely slow. Don't worry about him, either.



After the Knights Templar comes the final battle. Valmafra makes her long-

anticipated debut on the battlefield, accompanied by Delita and eight Dark

Knights, all of whom are equipped with Save the Queen and Defense Boost.

Some of the Dark Knights have First Strike and some have Mana Shield, and both

Delita and Valmafra have ??? HP status.



All the Dark Knights will be slow to take out because of their Defense Boost

and auto-Protect. Fortunately, they use their Darkness abilities very rarely

if ever; they just use physical attacks, which you should be able to easily

block. Breaking their weapons will help you take them out more quickly. It's

probably a good idea to first use Crush Weapon on the Dark Knights with Mana

Shield, since these will be the absolute slowest to defeat. (The other ones

you can attack more quickly.) Some of the Dark Knights also have Steal ... but

if you have Safeguard, you're completely protected against getting your

equipment stolen, so don't sweat it.



Advance slowly. Delita will soon advance to attack you. His sword techniques

are quite powerful and he has Safeguard, so you can't break his weapon. He

also has Shirahadori, so Jump and plain physical attacks are a no-go. Your

best bet is to use Shadowblade/Sanguine Sword to attack him while healing; Holy

Sword techniques also work well, too. He actually doesn't have all THAT much

HP (even at level 99, he's just north of 1000).



Once you've defeated Delita, you can focus on mopping up the other enemies.

Valmafra has a Chantage, so you'll have to either take her out last or use

Crush Accessory to break it (she doesn't have Safeguard). Fortunately, she

doesn't actually seem to do much except heal herself. She does have Soulbind,

so you'll keep taking damage while you wear her down. Again, Shadowblade or

Sanguine Sword are useful as a way of attacking her while keeping up your own

HP. Like Delita, she only has 1000 HP or so.



When you take out Delita and Valmafra's team, you're finally done with this

exhausting series of battles! Your rewards may include two unique items: the

Crown Sceptre, a rod that gives you +4 Magick Attack, and the Sage's Ring,

which allows you to absorb EVERY element and also boosts the power of all your

elemental attacks!



It's also worth noting that there are a fair number of rare items you can steal

here. (Balthier is a good character to use if you want steal here.) There's

nothing much TOO special (that's not protected with a Safeguard, anyway), but

you can pick up a bunch of knight's swords and hair adornments. Orran has an

Omnilex that you can grab -- this is also poachable, but you may find it more

convenient to acquire here if you want one.



TITLE AWARDED: Hero

UNIQUE POSSIBLE TREASURES: Crown Sceptre, Sage's Ring



---Rendezvous Mission 15: An Ill Wind------------------------------------------

AVAILABLE AFTER...: Completing single-player game

BATTLE MAP: Ziekden Fortress



YOUR FORCES: 1-3 characters per player

ENEMY FORCES: Argath [Deathknight; Virgo] x 10



It's the Argath Burly Brawl! There are no fewer than TEN Argaths here, and you

must defeat all of them to win.



The best set-up for this battle is to deploy just one character per player, and

give them the following set-up:

Equipment : Cursed Ring, Ribbon or Barette, Chaos Blade or other strong weapon

Abilities : Speechcraft (optional), First Strike, Concentration



The Cursed Ring and either a Ribbon or Barette are essential here. Argath

normally uses Fell Sword techniques to drain your HP, which will quickly kill

you and make KOing them nearly impossible since he keeps regaining HP. The

Cursed Ring, found on The Switchback in Midlight's Deep in the single-player

game, will protect you from this by negating drain attacks. (There only seems

to be one Cursed Ring, so if you lost it or don't have it, you'll have to

quickly use the Mystic's Corruption magick to make yourself undead.) Argath

also uses the Vampire attack, with has a 100% rate of turning you into a

Vampire, so you need a Ribbon or Barette to protect against this. (If both

characters get Vampired, you lose.) If you've got both a Cursed Ring and

Ribbon/Barette, Argaths can only use physical attacks, which you can block with

First Strike (or Shirahadori).



Because First Strike only works if you're in position where you can attack

back, it's very important to watch your vertical positioning. Swords have a

range of 3 down but only 2 up. If Argath stands on a tile with a height

difference of 3 from your tile, he can attack you and you can't First Strike

him! Stay on level ground and you're fine. Standing next to a tile with a

height difference of MORE than 3 -- like the side of the fort -- is also OK as

Argath can't attack you across such a distance.



The other tricky part of this battle is the Argaths' Reaction Abilities. Five

of the Argaths have Soulbind, which reflects back half the damage you do. (The

other five Argaths have different Reaction Abilities: First Strike,

Shirahadori, Sticky Fingers, and two have Mana Shield.) You're probably better

off not directly attacking the Argaths with Soulbind. Instead, let them attack

you, and First Strike will turn the attack into one of your own without

triggering Soulbind. He can normally block your counterattacks with his

shield, but Concentration will take care of that. (If you get surrounded by

the bodies of KOed Argaths, move to another tile so there's room for additional

Argaths to attack you.) You could also attack the Soulbinded Argaths directly,

but you'd have to alternate between that and using Chakra to heal yourself.



On your own turns, use sword techniques or other abilities to attack the

Argaths who *don't* have Soulbind. Although you can't view their status screen

directly, you CAN see their Reaction Ability when the damage estimate appears.

Only attack the ones who don't have Soulbind. Be careful of any area effect

damage; you might hit a second Argath who has Soulbind. If you're not sure

which Reaction Ability each Argath has, aim your attacks so that you only

strike one at a time, and only attack the ones without Soulbind. It's also

safe to attack a Soulbinded Argath who is low on HP; if you finish him off with

your attack, Soulbind never triggers. Argath has Safeguard, so Crush skills

are out.



The best secondary action ability to bring is Speechcraft and Praise. The

maximum permanent Bravery you can have is 97, which means that if you enter the

battle with 97 Bravery, there's still a (small) chance that First Strike will

fail and Argath will hit you. So begin the battle by using Praise on yourself

and you can raise your Bravery up to 100, which means you have a 100% chance of

First Strike and Argath can NEVER hurt you. (Fortunately, Argath is an idiot

and will continue attacking you even when it is literally impossible for him to

land a blow.) Alternately, you could use Martial Arts as your action ability.

Chakra heals you even if you're undead, so you can use it for healing in case

the Argaths do land a few hits on you.



Teleport or Ignore Elevation is also convenient, just because the Argaths

sometime climb up on top of the fort using their own Ignore Elevation ability.



This battle is nearly impossible without the right character set-up. On the

other hand, if you *are* properly equipped, it's really no problem as Argath

can't hurt you at all.



The unique treasures you can get here are the Valhalla fell sword and the

Vanguard Helm. The Vanguard Helm is on par with the Grand Helm; it has the

same HP bonus and also gives you +20 MP, but doesn't protect you from Blind or

Sleep. Actually, the Grand Helm is probably a little better for the status

protection, but there's only one Grand Helm, so the Vanguard Helm can be useful

too!



TITLE AWARDED: Riskbreaker

UNIQUE POSSIBLE TREASURES: Valhalla, Vanguard Helm





*******************************************************************************

VII. JOBS AND ABILITIES

*******************************************************************************



%%%JOB REQUIREMENTS (QUICK REFERENCE)%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00req



This chart is just a quick reference to the requirements to unlock each job.

New jobs are unlocked by gaining JP with particular jobs you already have and

increasing their Job Level. (The exception is Dark Knight, which has somewhat

more complex requirements; see below.) For more detail on each job, see the

sections below.



TO UNLOCK... REQUIRES JOBS

Squire : Always available

Chemist : Always available

Knight : Squire lv. 2

Archer : Squire lv. 2

Monk : Knight lv. 3

White Mage : Chemist lv. 2

Black Mage : Chemist lv. 2

Time Mage : Black Mage lv. 3

Summoner : Time Mage lv. 3

Thief : Archer lv. 3

Orator : Mystic lv. 3

Mystic : White Mage lv. 3

Geomancer : Monk lv. 4

Dragoon : Thief lv. 4

Samurai : Knight lv. 4, Monk lv. 5, and Dragoon lv. 2

Ninja : Archer lv. 4, Thief lv. 5, Geomancer lv. 2

Arithmetician : White Mage lv. 5, Black Mage lv. 5,

Time Mage lv. 4, and Mystic lv. 4

Bard : Summoner lv. 5 and Orator lv. 5, males only

Dancer : Geomancer lv. 5 and Dragoon lv. 5, females only

Mime : Squire lv. 8, Chemist lv. 8, Summoner lv. 5,

Orator lv. 5, Geomancer lv. 5, and Dragoon lv. 5

Dark Knight : Knight MASTERED*, Black Mage MASTERED*, Samurai lv. 8,

Ninja lv. 8, Geomancer lv. 8, and Dragoon lv. 8,

kill 20+ enemies (so that they turn into crystal or chests)

Onion Knight : Squire lv. 6 and Chemist lv. 6



* To Master a job, learn all of its abilities.



The following jobs are automatically available to special story characters

but are NOT available to generic characters:

Ark Knight Astrologer Automaton Byblos

Cleric Divine Knight Dragonkin Fell Knight

Game Hunter Holy Dragon Holy Knight Machinist

Netherseer Princess Sky Pirate Skyseer

Soldier Sword Saint Templar



The followings jobs and monster are used only by enemies and are never

available to you, the player:

Archaeodaemon Arch Seraph Assassin Bringer of Order

Celebrant Dark Dragon Deathknight Death Seraph

Gigas High Seraph Nightblade Reaver

Serpentarius Sorceror The Impure The Wroth

Ultima Demon White Knight



%%%GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT JOBS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00job0



---EQUIPPING ABILITIES---

Each job has a category of Action Abilities (e.g. "Black Magick" or "Steal").

This category of abilities is always available for use by the job. In

addition, each job can equip one other job's Action Ability category. So, you

can have a Black Mage with the Knight's Arts of War ability, or a Samurai who

uses both her inherent Iaido ability plus the Chemists' Items ability.



Each job can also equip one Reaction Ability, one Support Ability, and one

Movement Ability. Note that the Reaction/Support/Movement Abilities that a job

can learn are NOT automatically available (with a few exceptions noted below).

You must use your slots to equip them!



The exception to all of the above is the Onion Knight job, which can't equip

any abilities at all.



---JOBS & STATS---

A character's current stats are, of course, partially determined by his or her

current level, as well as by the jobs you used to level up with in the past.

(Note that you can use job effects on level ups as a way of grinding your

characters' stats even higher. See Level Downs & Stat Grinding under

Statistics and Leveling for more information.)



But, a character's CURRENT job also plays a big role in determining your

current stats. Black Mages have high MP and magick strength, but a weak

physical attack. Thieves are speedy but don't have much HP. Below, I've

given rough approximations of each job's stats on a scale of 1 star (poor) to

5 stars (excellent).



Three stats do not change with level ups and depend only on your current job

plus your accessories/equipment. Movement range is the number of tiles a

character can move per turn. Jump height is the maximum height distance

between tiles that a character can traverse while moving. (Additionally, when

faced with a gap, characters can make horizontal jumps equal to half their Jump

height.) Finally, each job has a inherent evade rate for physical attacks.

Note that this inherent evade rate is only good against attacks from the front.

(By contrast, shields can also evade attacks from the side, and cloaks can

evade attacks from all directions.)



Note that even though the status screen has a space for an inherent magickal

evade rate, all jobs actually have a 0% basic magick evade. The only way to

evade magick is to equip shields or accessories.



---UNLOCKING JOBS---

Aside from Squire and Chemist, jobs must be unlocked. In order to use a given

job, a character must first gain Job Levels with other jobs. For example, to

switch to the White Mage job, a character must have Chemist at job level 3 or

higher. (The requirements for each job are listed in the charts below.)



Job Levels are determined by the TOTAL amount of JP you've earned with a given

job. Spending JP to purchase abilities does NOT decrease this total. So, a

character who's earned 730 JP with Samurai would have a Samurai job level of 4,

even if he's spent 500 of those JP on abilities.



Job Level 1 0 JP total

Job Level 2 200 JP total

Job Level 3 400 JP total

Job Level 4 700 JP total

Job Level 5 1100 JP total

Job Level 6 1600 JP total

Job Level 7 2200 JP total

Job Level 8 3000 JP total

Mastered All abilities learned



Note that it's possible to Master a job even if your job level is less than 8.

Squire, Geomancer, and some special jobs require less than 3000 JP to Master,

and you can Master other jobs with less than 3000 JP if you learn a lot of

abilities from crystals. Your Job Level is actually independent of whether

you've Mastered the job and continues to go up until it reaches 8, even if

you've already Mastered the job. Keep this in mind, because most jobs unlock

based on JOB LEVELS, not on Mastered jobs. (For instance, Dark Knight requires

you to have job level 8 with Geomancer, even though you can master Geomancer

with only job level 7!)



The Job Level for Onion Knight is determined by the number of other jobs that

you've Mastered. Mime always has Job Level 1. Both Onion Knight and Mime are

always Mastered.



---SPECIAL JOBS---

Some story characters that join your party have special jobs available for

that character. They aren't available to generic characters. In all cases

where a story character has a special job, the special job replaces the Squire

job for that character. For more on these special jobs, see the Special Jobs

portion of the job/ability list, below.





---Deciphering the Charts------------------------------------------------------

A few (well, many) words of explanation about the job & ability charts below.



---ACTION ABILITIES---

MP: Action Abilities first list the MP cost of each ability. If no MP cost is

listed, the ability doesn't require MP to use.



REFLECT & ARITHMETICKS: For magick, you may see an "R" and/or an "A" after its

MP cost. "R" means the spell can be reflected -- if it's cast on a character

who has the Reflect status, the spell will bounce off and might even strike

another target! "A" means it can be cast using the Arithmetician's

Arithmeticks ability.



SPEED: Next comes the Speed ("SPD") of the ability. This determines how long

the ability takes to charge up. The SMALLER the number, the LONGER it takes to

charge. If no number is listed, the ability is used instantaneously and

doesn't need to charge.



RANGE: Two numbers are listed for Range ("RNG"). The first ("H") is the

horizontal range in tiles -- how many tiles away can the target be? Usually,

you'll see a number. You might also see "Weapon" instead, which means the

range of the ability is equal to the range of the user's current weapon.

"4Dir" means "4 directions"; the ability reaches only in the cardinal

directions and extends the length of its effect radius (see below). The second

number under Range ("V") is the vertical range. Some abilities can only target

characters who are within a certain height of the caster. A * displayed here

means the ability has an infinite vertical range and can target characters at

any height (most abilities actually fall into this category).



EFFECT RADIUS: Many abilities affect not just the character targeted, but

nearby tiles as well. This is the "Effect Radius" of the ability, and is

listed under "RAD". Again, the first number is the horizontal radius -- how

wide is the effect radius in terms of # of map tiles? (An ability with a

radius of 1 targets only one tile; a greater radius target more.) The second

number is the vertical radius. In most cases, the effect radius only holds

over tiles within a certain vertical height of the central target.



So, for instance, the spell Blizzaga has a range of 4/*. This means that it

can target any unit within 4 panels of the caster, regardless of vertical

distance. It also has an effect radius of 2/3. This means that it has a

radius of horizontal size 2 -- it hits both the targeted tile and neighboring

tiles that are 1 tile away. The vertical radius is 3, so any neighboring tiles

that differ in height by more than 3 will NOT be part of the effect radius.



TARGETS: Target ("TAR") determines whether the ability affects only allies

within in the effect radius, only foes, or both. Continuing the Blizzara

example, Blizzara target All units within the radius, meaning that both enemy

units and your own allies will be affected. Look out!



LINE OF FIRE: Finally, Line of Fire ("LF") displays whether the ability

requires an unobstructed line of fire between the user and the target. If Y

(yes) is displayed here, the ability requires a direct line of fire and CANNOT

travel through other units or obstructions such as walls. (If there is another

unit in the way, that unit will be hit instead! See Shoot Enemies Next to You

under Various Tricks for tips on how to exploit this to your advantage.) If N

(no) is displayed for Line of Fire, the ability does NOT require a direct line

of fire and works even if there are walls or other units in the way. Of

course, Line of Fire is irrelevant for abilities that affect only the user or

units in adjacent tiles, since there can't be any other obstacles in between.



---REACTION ABILITIES---

Reaction Abilities trigger when the character is hit by a specific kind of

action. The action that triggers that the Reaction Ability is listed under

Trigger. ("Critical HP" means when you have less than 20% of your max HP and

the character is kneeling/crouching.)



Most Reaction Abilities don't always activate. In most cases, the chance of a

Reaction Ability activating is equal to the character's Bravery. If "Yes" is

displayed under Bravery ("BRV"), the chance of the Reaction Ability activating

is equal to your Bravery. If "No" is displayed, Bravery does not affect the

Reaction Ability; the ability either ALWAYS works, or is affected by something

else listed in the description for that ability.



---SUPPORT AND MOVEMENT ABILITIES---

Support and Movement Abilities are pretty straightforward.



---INNATE ABILITIES---

Abilities marked with a + are automatically used by that that job and only

needs to be equipped when you switch to another job. For example, the Ninja

doesn't need to equip Dual Wield to use two weapons. You only need Dual Wield

when you change to a different job and want to retain that ability.



---RECOMMENDED ABILITIES---

Some abilities have been marked with *. A * here means the ability is (in my

usually inaccurate opinion) one of the job's best.



---LEARNING MAGICK FROM BEING HIT---

A & next to an ability's JP cost indicates that this magick ability can also

be learned if the character is hit with the magick. (Each time you're hit,

there's only a random chance of learning the ability.) For more information on

this and a list of all the abilities and their learning rates, see "Learning

Magick from Being Hit" under Various Tricks. (Note that Ultima and Zodiark can

ONLY be learned this way.)



%%%STANDARD JOBS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00job1



---SQUIRE----------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : none

Needed for jobs : Knight (lv. 2), Archer (lv. 2), Onion Knight (lv. 6),

Mime (lv. 8)



Equippable weapons: Knives, swords, axes, flails Movement range : 4

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes Jump height : 3

Stats: Physical evade : 5%

HP: *** MP: *** Phys. Atk.: *** Mag. Atk.: ** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Fundaments--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Focus * Slf 1/- Self - 300 Raises physical attack power by 1

for duration of battle

Rush 1/1 1/- Any - 80 Weak physical attack, may knock

enemy back one tile; does

variable damage (may be more or

less than estimate)

Stone 4/* 1/- Any Y 90 Weak (ranged) physical attack,

may knock enemy back one tile;

does variable damage (may be

more or less than estimate)

Salve 1/2 1/- Any - 150 Cures Blind, Silence, Poison



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Counter Tackle Phys. attack Yes 180 Counterattack using Rush



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Equip Axes + 170 Equip Axes regardless of current job

Beastmaster 200 Monsters in adjacent tiles gain an

extra ability. (Limited to

vertical range of 3.)

Defend 50 Allows use of Defend action to

double evade rate for 1 turn

JP Boost * 250 Raises JP received by the unit by

50%



--Movement Abilities--

JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Move +1 * 200 Movement range + 1



JP to master: 1670



--MY THOUGHTS--

Squires are what you'd expect from a starting job -- functional, but nothing

all that special. Their abilities are useful early on, but there aren't too

many that you'd use later on. Move +1 is a great all-purpose movement ability

though, and definitely worth learning before you move on from Squire. (Most

other jobs have a movement range of only 3, making it tough for them to keep

up with the battle.) JP Boost is also great for helping you learn other

abilities quickly, especially when you switch to a new job and need to gain

levels quickly. It's a great investment to learn JP Boost early on.



If you're into grinding levels, Focus and Stone are good abilities to use

repeatedly to build up experience or JP.



---CHEMIST---------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : none

Needed for jobs : White Mage (lv. 2), Black Mage (lv. 2), Onion Knight (lv. 6),

Mime (lv. 8)



Equippable weapons: Knives, guns Movement range : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes Jump height : 3

Innate ability: Throw Items Physical evade : 5%

Stats:

HP: *** MP: *** Phys. Atk.: ** Mag. Atk.: ** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Items--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Potion * 1/* 1/- Any Y 30 Can use Potions (restore 30 HP)

Hi-Potion * 1/* 1/- Any Y 200 Can use Hi-Potions (restore 70

HP)

X-Potion * 1/* 1/- Any Y 300 Can use X-Potions (restore 150

HP)

Ether 1/* 1/- Any Y 300 Can use Ethers (restore 20 MP)

Hi-Ether * 1/* 1/- Any Y 400 Can use Hi-Ethers (restore 50 MP)

Elixir 1/* 1/- Any Y 900 Can use Elixirs (restore all HP &

MP)

Antidote 1/* 1/- Any Y 70 Can use Antidotes (cures Poison)

Eye Drops 1/* 1/- Any Y 80 Can use Eye Drops (cures Blind)

Echo Herbs 1/* 1/- Any Y 120 Can use Echo Herbs (cures

Silence)

Maiden's Kiss 1/* 1/- Any Y 200 Can use Maiden's Kisses (cures

Toad)

Gold Needle 1/* 1/- Any Y 250 Can use Gold Needles (cures

Stone)

Holy Water 1/* 1/- Any Y 400 Can use Holy Water (cures Undead

and Vampire)

Remedy * 1/* 1/- Any Y 700 Can use Remedies (cures Stone,

Blind, Confuse, Silence, Oil,

Toad, Poison, and Sleep)

Phoenix Down * 1/* 1/- Any Y 90 Can use Phoenix Down (revives

KOed character with minimal HP)



Note 1: All Items abilities require you to have the corresponding item in your

inventory. One item is consumed with each use. Aside from Elixirs, all the

items can be bought at the Outfitter, although some do not become available

until later in the game.



Note 2: The Throw Items ability (equippable, and also innate in the Chemist

job) extends the range of all Items abilities from 1 to 4.



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Auto-Potion * Any HP loss Yes 400 Use weakest potion available on self



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Throw Items +* 350 Increases horizontal range of Items

command from 1 to 4.

Safeguard * 250 Equipment can't be broken or stolen

Reequip 0 Allows use of Reequip action to

change unit's equipment (but

consumes turn)



--Movement Abilities--

JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Treasure Hunter 100 Allows you to discover any hidden

items on the destination tile,

which are then added to your

inventory. Your chance of getting

a more valuable item increases

with LOW Bravery.



JP to master: 5140



--MY THOUGHTS--

Despite being a "basic" job, Chemists are great! Items are great for healing

because they don't take any time to charge and never miss. Ethers and

Hi-Ethers are also a convenient way to restore MP. And, since the effect of

items is fixed, you can assign the Items ability even to a character with low

magic ability. The only real downside is that items can only heal one

character at a time.



Early in the game, Chemists make great healers. Plus, once you're able to buy

guns (late in Chapter II), they have a good range attack, giving them something

else to do when the team doesn't need healing.



Be sure to learn Throw Items before you switch your Chemist to another job.

Otherwise, your items will only have a range of 1 and won't be much good at

all. (Chemists themselves don't need to learn Throw Items, as they have it as

an intrinsic ability.)



It's pretty safe to skip the items that cure negative status (Eye Drops, etc.);

you don't have to face these status conditions all that often. Save your JP

and just learn Remedy; once Remedies become available (midway through Chapter

II) they duplicate the effects of ALL the other items. The exception is Holy

Water, but there's pretty much only point where you have to worry about being

hit with the Undead or Vampire conditions.



Safeguard is an important support ability, especially later in the game when

you have rare equipment that you can't buy in stores. You don't want that

being broken or stolen! Although you don't need to equip Safeguard all the

time, it's good to have on hand for particular battles where the enemies are

apt to break your equipment.



The Treasure Hunter movement ability, on the other hand, isn't all that useful

during the main game since most of the items you find from it are nothing

special. However, in the game's sidequests, Treasure Hunter will net you some

rare items you can't find anywhere else, so at that point you'll definitely

want to have at least one character learn Treasure Hunter. (Preferably someone

with low Bravery, as this increases your chance of getting good items with it.)



---KNIGHT----------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Squire lv. 2

Needed for jobs : Monk (lv. 3), Samurai (lv. 4), Dark Knight (Mastered!)



Equippable weapons: Swords, knight's swords Movement range : 4

Equippable armor: Shields, helms, armor, robes Jump height : 3

Stats: Physical evade : 10%

HP: **** MP: *** Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: ** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Arts of War--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Rend Helm Weapon Any Y 300 Destroys target's headgear

Rend Armor Weapon Any Y 400 Destroys target's armor

Rend Shield Weapon Any Y 300 Destroys target's shield

Rend Weapon * Weapon Any Y 400 Destroys target's weapon

Rend MP * Weapon Any Y 250 Lowers target's MP (by 1/2 of

target's maximum MP)

Rend Speed * Weapon Any Y 250 Lowers target's speed by 2

Rend Power * Weapon Any Y 250 Lowers target's phys. attack by 3

Rend Magick Weapon Any Y 250 Lowers target's mag. attack by 3



When combined with the Dual Wield support ability, Arts of War fires twice per

use since the character is wielding two weapons.



If Rend Helm, Armor, Shield, or Weapon is used against a target not equipped

with that type of item, it functions as a physical attack instead. (This is

useful when you Dual Wield and succeed in rending the item on the first

strike.)



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Parry No 200 Block physical attacks with weapon;

rate of success is equal to

current weapon's Block Rate (see

weapon list). Not effective

against rear attacks.



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Equip Heavy Armor +* 500 Can equip heavy armor + helmets

regardless of job

Equip Shields + 250 Can equip shields regardless of job

Equip Swords +* 400 Can equip swords regardless of job

(does not apply to knight's

swords)



--Movement Abilities--

none



JP to master: 3750



--MY THOUGHTS--

The Knight's greatest asset is not the Arts of War, but its fairly good

fighting stats and inherent ability to equip swords, heavy armor, and shields,

a power that can be transfered to other jobs with its support abilities. Equip

Heavy Armor helps make vulnerable jobs tougher, and Equip Sword is quite useful

for many of the story characters, who need to have a sword equipped in order to

use their special abilities.



Knights are also a good job late in the game, when you've learned all the

abilities you want and now just want to maximize your characters' power. They

have good HP and attack power, and are one of the few jobs that can equip

knight's swords, the single-player game's most powerful weapons. (The only

other standard job that can use them is Dark Knight, which has quite a few

prerequisites to unlock).



The Arts of War abilities are only moderately useful as Knight. They have

fairly low accuracy and if you're close enough to use them, you'll often want

to just start attacking and KO the enemy rather than mess with his/her stats.

However, pairing Arts of War with a gun (e.g. by using the Orator's Equip Gun

ability) or the Archer's bows lets you use these attacks at a distance, which

makes them quite useful. You can break your enemies' weapons before they can

get close enough to use them!



---ARCHER----------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Squire lv. 2

Needed for jobs : Thief (lv. 3), Ninja (lv. 4)



Equippable weapons: Bows, crossbows Movement range : 3

Equippable armor: Shields, hats, clothes Jump height : 3

Stats: Physical evade : 10%

HP: *** MP: ** Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: ** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Aim--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Aim +1 * Weapon Any Y 100 Charge up attack for more damage

Aim +2 * Weapon Any Y 150 Charge up attack for more damage

Aim +3 * Weapon Any Y 200 Charge up attack for more damage

Aim +4 Weapon Any Y 250 Charge up attack for more damage

Aim +5 Weapon Any Y 300 Charge up attack for more damage

Aim +7 Weapon Any Y 400 Charge up attack for more damage

Aim +10 Weapon Any Y 700 Charge up attack for more damage

Aim +20 Weapon Any Y 1200 Charge up attack for more damage



Each of these Aim abilities does more damage than the previous one, but also

takes longer to charge. (e.g., Aim +4 does more damage than Aim +3). Note

that if the enemy you're targeting moves while you're charging, your attack

will miss.



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Adrenaline Rush * Any HP loss Yes 900 Raise Speed by 1

Archer's Bane * Arrow attack Yes 450 Evade bow / crossbow attacks



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Equip Crossbows + 350 Can equip crossbows regardless of

job (does not apply to regular

bows)

Concentration * 400 Prevents enemies from evading your

physical attacks



--Movement Abilities--

JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Jump +1 200 Jump height + 1



JP to master: 5600



--MY THOUGHTS--

Archers make a very valuable addition to your team early in the game, when you

have few other range attacks. Later in the game, as you acquire guns, sword

techniques, and other ranged attacks, Archers become somewhat less useful. For

one thing, their Aim command is of limited value. The high Aims (Aim +10,

etc.) take too long to charge and there's rarely any enemy you can target with

them. The short Aims will increase your damage a little and are worth using

when you have the chance, but don't increase your offense enough to make them

worth choosing over another command.



Archer's Bane, though, is a great reaction ability against enemy Archers --

with a high Bravery, you're almost impervious to arrows! Since you'll fight

Archers in quite a few battles throughout the game, this is a good ability to

learn early on.



Always equip your Archers with the 2-handed longbows rather than crossbows--

longbows do more damage, have a longer range, and don't need a direct line of

fire. Crossbows do let you equip a shield at the same time, but since your

Archers should be on the back line anyway, they don't need shields that much.

Note that Archers are in fact the ONLY standard job that can equip longbows.

The Equip Crossbows ability only let other jobs use crossbows (not longbows),

which makes the ability of dubious value since crossbows are not so good.



---MONK------------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Knight lv. 3

Needed for jobs : Geomancer (lv. 4), Samurai (lv. 5)



Equippable weapons: none Movement range : 3

Equippable armor: Clothes Jump height : 4

Innate ability: Brawler Physical evade : 20%

Stats:

HP: ***** MP: *** Phys. Atk.: ***** Mag. Atk.: ** Speed: ****



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Martial Arts--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Cyclone Slf 2/0 Any - 150 Non-elemental attack

Pummel 1/1 1/- Any - 300 Non-elemental attack, does

variable damage (may be more or

less than estimate)

Aurablast 3/3 1/- Any Y 300 Non-elemental attack

Shockwave * 4Dir 8/2 Any N 600 Earth attack

Doom Fist 1/0 1/- Any - 300 Causes Doom status (enemy is KOed

after 3 turns)

Purification * Slf 2/0 Any - 200 Removes Stone, Blind, Confuse,

Silence, Berserk, Toad, Poison,

Sleep, Immobilize, Disable

Chakra * Slf 2/0 Any - 350 Restores some HP and MP

Revive * 1/0 1/- Any - 500 Revives KOed character with

minimal HP



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Critical:RecoverHP Critical HP Yes 500 Restores HP completely

Counter * Phys. Attack Yes 300 Counter-attack with physical attack

First Strike * Attack command Yes 1300 Cancels enemy's Attack command and

you attack enemy instead (does not

work against monsters)



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Brawler +* 200 Raises unarmed attack strength



--Movement Abilities--

JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Lifefont * 300 Restores HP whenever you Move



JP to master: 5300



--MY THOUGHTS--

Monks rock! In my opinion, they have the best selection of abilities in the

game. Shockwave and to a lesser extent Aurablast are decent offensive

abilities. And, they have three healing abilities that don't require any

charge time: Chakra can restore HP *AND* MP to a group, Revive revives KOed

character and usually has an 80+% hit rate, and Purification cures a number of

status changes to a group. Martial Arts is a great command to have as it gives

you both offensive and defensive abilities packed into one ability slot. The

one caveat is that the healing abilities work only over a small vertical range

-- you can't Revive someone at a different height than you, for instance -- so

be mindful of that during battle.



Monks also have great reaction abilities. Counter is a great reaction ability

to have in almost all situations. Getting counterattacks in response to enemy

attacks lets you do a LOT more damage. Against humans, First Strike is even

better since it cancels the enemy's attack outright, but it's not effective

against monster attacks -- so don't use it when you're traveling the map and

will just be facing random battles. Critical: Recover HP can be moderately

useful too since it can restore your HP to full and save a critically wounded

character, but many attacks can KO you outright and never even put you in

critical HP. (So, Counter is usually better.)



Another advantage of Monks is that they have good stats: they have a strong

attack and are pretty speedy. Consider pairing their attack with the Ninja's

Dual Wield to get two punches and double your damage! Their only weakness is

that they can't equip much in the way of armor, but Equip Heavy Armor can be a

good remedy for that.



---WHITE MAGE------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Chemist lv. 2

Needed for jobs : Mystic (lv. 3), Arithmetician (lv. 5)



Equippable weapons: Staves Movement range : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes, robes Jump height : 3

Stats: Physical evade : 5%

HP: ** MP: ***** Phys. Atk.: *** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ****



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: White Magicks--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Cure * 6 RA 25 4/* 2/1 Any N 50 Restores HP

Cura * 10RA 20 4/* 2/1 Any N 180 Restores HP (more)

Curaga 16RA 15 4/* 2/2 Any N 450 Restores HP (even more)

Curaja 20RA 10 4/* 2/3 Any N 800& Restores HP (best)

Raise * 10RA 25 4/* 1/- Any N 200 Revives KOed character with

half of maximum HP

Arise * 20RA 10 4/* 1/- Any N 600 Revives KOed character with full

HP

Reraise * 16RA 15 3/* 1/- Any N 1000 Gives Reraise status

(automatically return once

from KO)

Regen * 8 RA 25 3/* 2/0 Any N 350 Gives Regen status (restores HP

each turn)

Protect 6 RA 25 3/* 2/0 Any N 70 Gives Protect status (decreases

physical damage received)

Protectja 24 15 3/* 2/3 Any N 600 Gives Protect status

Shell 6 RA 25 3/* 2/0 Any N 70 Gives Shell status (decreases

magick damage received)

Shellja 20 15 3/* 2/3 Any N 600 Gives Shell status

Wall 24RA 25 3/* 1/- Any N 400 Gives both Protect and Shell

status

Esuna 18RA 34 3/* 2/2 Any N 300 Cures Stone, Blind, Confuse,

Silence, Berserk, Toad,

Poison, Sleep, Immobilize,

and/or Disable

Holy 56RA 17 5/* 1/- Any N 600 Holy attack



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Regenerate * Any HP loss Yes 400 Gain Regen status (restores HP each

turn)



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Arcane Defense * 400 Lowers damage received from magick



--Movement Abilities--

none



JP to master: 7070



--MY THOUGHTS--

White Mages are, of course, a healing oriented job; Holy is their only real

offensive spell. However, they tend not to be as effective on defense as

Chemists, since their spells consume MP and need time to charge up. The charge

time is particularly problematic if an ally has just been hit for a lot of

damage and you need to patch him/her up right away -- you might not have time

to wait!



What's GOOD about White Mages? Well, they can heal more than one character at

a time (since most of their spells affect more than one tile). They can cast a

few other "buffing" spells like Protect and Shell, though note these buffs can

miss if you have low faith or magick power! Their Arise spell is also capable

of restoring a character at full HP, which Phoenix Down or a Monk's Revive

cannot do. They're also the fastest of the mage jobs.



Overall, though, the charge times and MP costs associated with White Magick

make Chemists a better choice. If you're likely to get any use out of White

Mages, it's probably in the early stages of the game, when you'll frequently

face barrages of weak attacks spread out against your team. Then, the ability

to heal multiple characters at once is important.



White Magick can also be used an offensive weapon against undead enemies,

though there aren't too many undead enemies and most are pretty easy anyway.

Besides, you can use Chemists' Items to hurt undead enemies too!



---BLACK MAGE------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Chemist lv. 2

Needed for jobs : Time Mage (lv. 3), Arithmetician (lv. 5),

Dark Knight (Mastered!)



Equippable weapons: Rods Movement range : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes, robes Jump height : 3

Stats: Physical evade : 5%

HP: ** MP: ***** Phys. Atk.: ** Mag. Atk.: ***** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Black Magicks--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Fire * 6 RA 25 4/* 2/1 All N 50 Fire attack

Fira * 12RA 20 4/* 2/2 All N 200 Fire attack (stronger)

Firaga * 24RA 15 4/* 2/3 All N 500 Fire attack (even stronger)

Firaja 48 10 4/* 3/3 All N 900& Fire attack (strongest)

Thunder * 6 RA 25 4/* 2/1 All N 50 Lightning attack

Thundara 10RA 20 4/* 2/2 All N 200 Lightning attack (stronger)

Thundaga * 24RA 15 4/* 2/3 All N 500 Lightning attack (even stronger)

Thundaja 48 10 4/* 3/3 All N 900& Lightning attack (strongest)

Blizzard * 6 RA 25 4/* 2/1 All N 50 Ice attack

Blizzara * 12RA 20 4/* 2/2 All N 200 Ice attack (stronger)

Blizzaga * 24RA 15 4/* 2/3 All N 500 Ice attack (even stronger)

Blizzaja 48 10 4/* 3/3 All N 900& Ice attack (strongest)

Poison 6 RA 34 4/* 2/2 All N 150 Causes Poison status

Toad 12RA 20 3/* 1 All N 500 Causes Toad status, or cures Toad

status if target already a Toad

Death 24RA 10 4/* 1 All N 600 Instant KO

Flare * 60RA 15 5/1 1 All N 1000 Non-elemental attack



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Magick Counter Magick attack Yes 800 Counterattack w/ same spell



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Arcane Strength * 400 Raises magick damage



--Movement Abilities--

none



JP to master: 8400



--MY THOUGHTS--

When it comes to magick, Black Mages are the mythril standard -- they have a

lot of MP (second only to Summoner in standard jobs, and third to Summoners

and Beowulf's Templar job overall), and THE highest magick strength of any job.

Plus, they can equip rods that boost their magick abilities even further, and

their Arcane Strength makes their magick do more damage. In other words, the

magick abilities of other jobs get even stronger when used by a Black Mage --

so a great strategy is to learn spells from other jobs, then turn your

characters into Black Mages. (Or, even better, learn Arithmeticks and then

turn into a Black Mage so you can cast ALL spells at high power!) They're the

best magick job available.



So, how about Black Mages' own spells? Well, Black Magick tend to be pretty

useful--especially early in the game, when you have few other abilities that

can attack multiple enemies. Against monsters, you can also use Black Magick

to exploit their elemental weaknesses (check the Monsters section below to see

what they are).



Later in the game, Black Magick isn't quite as effective since you have other

ways of attacking groups of enemies that don't consume MP and don't need to

charge (e.g., sword techniques, Iaido). Plus, the strongest Black Magick

spells take a while charge, although the Time Mage's Swiftness support ability

is one remedy for this -- or you could use Arithmeticks, which lets you cast

spells without charge time. Note that the -ja spells CANNOT be used with

Arithmeticks, so if you're using Arithmeticks, you'll probably want to learn

Flare before the -ja magicks. (On the other hand, -ja spells can't be

reflected, so even if an enemy has Reflect, you can use -ja spells to still

attack with magick.)



Magick Counter is a decent reaction ability when faced when lots of enemy

mages, but there aren't really too many situations where this is needed.



The Black Mage job must be Mastered to unlock Dark Knight. You can speed this

process if at least one character has already learned the -ja spells; cast them

on allied Black Mages and they may learn the magicks from being hit with them.

(See "Learning Magick from Being Hit" under Various Tricks for more on this

process.)



---TIME MAGE-------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Black Mage lv. 3

Needed for jobs : Summoner (lv. 3), Arithmetician (lv. 4)



Equippable weapons: Staves Movement range : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes, robes Jump height : 3

Stats: Physical evade : 5%

HP: ** MP: ***** Phys. Atk.: * Mag. Atk.: **** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Time Magicks--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Haste * 8 RA 50 3/* 2/0 Any N 100 Gives Haste status (CT charges

faster)

Hasteja 30 15 3/* 2/3 Any N 600& Gives Haste status

Slow * 8 RA 50 3/* 2/0 Any N 80 Inflicts Slow status (CT charges

slower)

Slowja 30RA 15 3/* 2/3 Any N 600& Inflicts Slow status

Stop * 14RA 15 3/* 2/0 Any N 350 Inflicts Stop status (CT doesn't

charge)

Immobilize * 10RA 34 3/* 2/1 Any N 100 Inflicts Immobilize status

Float 8 RA 50 4/* 2/1 Any N 200 Gives Float status (see below)

Reflect * 12RA 50 4/* 1 Any N 300 Gives Reflect status

Quick * 24R 25 4/* 1 Any N 900 Fills CT gauge - instant turn!

Gravity 24RA 17 4/* 2/1 Any N 250 Damage = 1/4 of user's max HP

Graviga * 50RA 10 4/* 2/3 Any N 550 Damage = 1/2 of user's max HP

Meteor 70 5 4/* 4/3 Any N 1500 Non-elemental magick attack



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Critical: Quick * Critical HP Yes 800 Fills CT gauge to 100; instant turn!

Mana Shield * Any HP loss Yes 400 Damage dealt only to MP instead of

HP if MP >0



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Swiftness * 1000 Speeds spell/ability charge time



--Movement Abilities--

----------------------------------------------------------

Teleport * 650 Teleport to any square when moving

regardless of move range, height,

or obstacles/enemies in the way.

Chance of failure increases with

longer move distance. #

Levitate 540 Permanent Float status (can move

over water as if land & immune to

Earth status)



# Teleport never fails if you teleport only within your regular move range.

For every additional tile beyond your move range, the chance of failure

increases by 10%.



JP to master: 8920



--MY THOUGHTS--

Time Mages mostly play a support role, casting spells to assist allies or keep

the enemies from acting. These abilities can be quite useful, but it's

probably a good idea to have another ability ready set from another job (e.g.

another magick command) to supplement them with more conventional offense or

defense. The Samurai's Iaido, if available, is also a good choice since it's

boosted by the Time Mage's high magick attack but saves your MP for Time

Magick. Having good magick stats (Magick Attack and Faith) is also important

so that your Hastes and Slows are likely to succeed.



Meteor and the Gravity spells can also be good attack spells, but they can be

somewhat slow, especially Meteor. (Gravity and Graviga are particular useful

against major bosses since they are helpful in cutting down the bosses' large

HP totals.) Try first casting Immobilize to keep enemies from running out of

your way out of your Meteor. The Time Mage's own Swiftness support ability

also speeds the charge time of these spells. It's good for Time Magicks as

well as for Summons and Cloud's Limit attacks.



A great ability to transfer to other jobs is the Mana Shield reaction ability,

which makes damage go to your MP instead of your HP as long as you have at

least 1 MP. This isn't so good for magick users since it quickly drains your

MP, but it can be great on physical fighters who weren't going to use their MP

anyway -- especially if you pair it with Manafont or another ability that lets

you recover MP quickly. Mana Shield is also very helpful in surviving the

Zodiark summon in order to learn it (see Summoner, below).



The Teleport movement ability is also extremely valuable, though isn't *quite*

as great as it seems. While you can conceivably warp long distances with it,

the further you're teleporting, the greater the likelihood the teleport will

fail and you'll end up back where you started, unable to move at all that

turn. However, Teleport still lets you move through enemy units and gives you

an infinite vertical movement range, which completely changes how can you move

around certain maps. For instance, you can teleport right up a castle wall to

attack the Archers up there, or take a shortcut over the side of a cliff. This

can be very helpful in a number of story battles as it lets you get the jump on

range attackers. So just teleport at short ranges and you'll be fine!



---SUMMONER--------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Time Mage lv. 3

Needed for jobs : Bard (lv. 5), Mime (lv. 5)



Equippable weapons: Staves, rods Movement range : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes, robes Jump height : 3

Stats: Physical evade : 5%

HP: ** MP: ***** Phys. Atk.: * Mag. Atk.: **** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Summon--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Moogle 8 34 4/* 3/2 Ally N 110 "Moogle Charm": Restores HP

Shiva 24 15 4/* 3/2 Foe N 200 "Glacial Shards": Ice magick

attack

Ramuh * 24 15 4/* 3/2 Foe N 200 "Judgment Bolt": Lightning magick

attack

Ifrit 24 15 4/* 3/2 Foe N 200 "Infernal Blaze": Fire magick

attack

Titan * 30 10 4/* 3/2 Foe N 220 "Gaia's Wrath": Earth magick

attack

Golem * 40 25 All allies N 500 "Earthen Wall": Blocks physical

attacks targeting allies until

its HP damage limit is reached

Carbuncle 30 20 4/* 3/2 Ally N 350 "Ruby Light": Gives Reflect

status

Bahamut 60 7 4/* 4/3 Foe N 1600&"Megaflare": Non-elemental attack

Odin 50 8 4/* 4/3 Foe N 900& "Obliteration": Non-elemental

attack

Leviathan 48 8 4/* 4/3 Foe N 860& "Tidal Wave": Water magick attack

Salamander 48 8 4/* 3/2 Foe N 860& "Wyrmfire": Fire magick attack

Sylph * 26 15 4/* 3/2 Foe N 400 "Whispering Wind": Inflicts

Silence status

Faerie * 28 15 4/* 3/2 Ally N 400 "Fey Light": Restores HP

Lich * 40 10 4/* 3/2 Foe N 600& "Descending Darkness": Dark

attack; does damage equal to

1/2 of target's maximum HP but

may miss

Cyclops 62 9 4/* 3/2 Foe N 1000&"Climactic Fear": Non-elemental

attack

Zodiark * 99 6 4/* 4/3 Foe N & "Darkening Cloud": Non-elemental

attack



When Summons are used, a special attack name (not just the name of the sword)

is displayed -- these are listed in quotation marks above.



The Zodiark summon cannot be purchased with JP; it must be learned from the

boss on the last floor of the bonus dungeon. See the Midlight's Deep battle

strategies for more tips on how to learn it.



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Critical:Recover MP Critical HP Yes 400 Restores MP to maximum



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Halve MP * 1000 Halves MP cost of abilities



--Movement Abilities--

none



JP to master: 9800



--MY THOUGHTS--

While summons don't have quite the power in FF Tactics as they do in some other

FF games, they're still strong. Plus, they have a wide effect radius, and,

unlike Black and White Magick, don't hurt your teammates or heal the enemies.

The Summon command also offers you a nice mix of both offensive abilities and a

few defensive ones: Moogle and Faerie restore HP, and the very useful Golem

summon blocks all enemy physical attacks for a while. The Lich summon is also

particularly effective against many of the game's major bosses; it always takes

away half their maximum HP despite their high HP totals.



The disadvantages of Summons are that they take quite a while to charge and

cost a fair amount of MP. The former could be remedied with the Time Mage's

Swiftness ability, which shortens charge time. MP costs can be dealt with

using the Summoner's own Halve MP support ability to decrease MP costs, with

equipment that boosts your max MP (all robes, and some hats), or with the

Chemists's Ethers & Hi-Ethers. There are also some abilities that let you gain

MP from your enemies: The Mystic's Absorb MP lets you absorb MP from enemy

spells, or you could also pair Summon with Mystic Arts to use Empowerment to

steal enemy's MP. (Orlandeau's Duskblade and Beowulf's Syphon can also steal

MP.) Unfortunately, you can't equip *both* Swiftness and Halve MP as they use

the same support ability slot, but you could pair Swiftness with MP-boosting

equipment, Items, Empowerment, or Absorb MP.



If you're trying to master jobs for the purposes of powering up Onion Knight,

note that Summoner isn't considered Mastered until you learn Zodiark.



---THIEF-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Archer lv. 3

Needed for jobs : Dragoon (lv. 4), Ninja (lv. 5)



Equippable weapons: Knives Movement range : 4

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes Jump height : 4

Stats: Physical evade : 25%

HP: *** MP: * Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: * Speed: ****



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Steal--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Steal Gil 1/1 1/- Foe - 10 Steal small amount of gil

Steal Heart * 3/1 1/- Foe N 150 Inflicts Charm; only effective on

monsters and opposite sex

Steal Helm * 1/1 1/- Foe - 350 Steal target's helmet

Steal Armor * 1/1 1/- Foe - 450 Steal target's armor

Steal Shield * 1/1 1/- Foe - 350 Steal target's shield

Steal Weapon * 1/1 1/- Foe - 600 Steal target's weapon

Steal Accessory 1/1 1/- Foe - 500 Steal target's accessory

Steal EXP 1/1 1/- Foe - 250 Steal target's current EXP



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Vigilance Any HP loss Yes 200 Enter into "Defend" state (doubles

evade rates)

Gil Snapper Any HP loss 200 Receive gil equal to HP lost

Sticky Fingers Throw 200 Blocks Ninja's Throw attack; thrown

item is added to your inventory!



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Poach * 200 Monsters KOed with physical attack

are poached and disappear from the

map; item becomes available at

Poachers' Den



--Movement Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Move +2 * 560 Movement range + 2

Jump +2 500 Jump height + 2



JP to master: 4520



--MY THOUGHTS--

Thieves are poor at magick and only moderately strong physically. But, boy,

are they fast! Their movement range and jump height are both 4, so they can

get across the map quickly.



This job is useful mainly for its abilities. Stealing your opponents'

equipment not only cripples them, but adds items to your inventory--and this is

the best way to get a number of rare items! If you like getting rare items,

you'll also want Poach; many pieces of equipment can only be obtained through

poaching monsters. (A side note about Poach: this also has the advantage of

removing monsters' bodies from the map, preventing them from getting revived.)



You could just learn the crucial Steal abilities and then move onto other job.

Ninja, in particular, might be a good to graduate your Thief too, since the

success of Steal is affected by your speed--and Ninjas are even faster than

Thieves!



When Thieves aren't stealing, they can also fight. Since they can only equip

knives, though, their offense can be somewhat weak on its own. You may want to

use an ability like Equip Axes or Equip Swords to bolster their offense.



If you're planning on using Steal Heart at all, a female Thief is somewhat more

advantageous to have than a male Thief, as Steal Hearts works on the opposite

gender and there are somewhat more male enemies than female ones.



Move +2 is also a great movement ability and makes characters quite a bit more

mobile. Note that this ability supercedes the Squire's Move +1 in every way

-- there's absolutely no trade-off or downside to selecting Move +2 over Move

+1 once you've learned +2.



The Thief's reaction abilities, on the other hand, tend not to be too useful.

Gil Snapper is worthless as the amount of gil you receive from it is so small--

the same goes for Steal Gil. Sticky Fingers is not particularly useful for the

bulk of the game as you won't fight too many Ninjas, but can be used in the

optional sidequests to harvest rare weapons from high-level enemy Ninjas. So,

again, if you like rare items, Thief is your job :)



---ORATOR----------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Mystic lv. 3

Needed for jobs : Bard (lv. 5), Mime (lv. 5)



Equippable weapons: Knives, guns Movement range : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes, robes Jump height : 3

Innate ability: Beast Tongue Physical evade : 5%

Stats:

HP: *** MP: *** Phys. Atk.: *** Mag. Atk.: ** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Speechcraft--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Entice * 3/3 1/- Foe N 100 Enemies join party

Stall 3/3 1/- Any N 100 Resets target's CT

Praise 3/3 1/- Any N 200 Raises Bravery by 4 #

Intimidate * 3/3 1/- Any N 200 Lowers Bravery by 20 &

Preach 3/3 1/- Any N 200 Raises Faith by 4 #

Enlighten * 3/3 1/- Any N 200 Lowers Faith by 20 &

Condemn 3/3 1/- Any N 500 Causes Doom status (enemy is KOed

after 3 turns)

Beg 3/3 1/- Foe N 100 Receive gil from enemy

Insult 3/3 1/- Any N 300 Causes Berserk status

Mimic Darlavon 3/3 2/* Any N 300 Causes Sleep status



# Note: These abilities change Faith or Bravery by 4. 3 points of this change

remains only for the battle, but 1 is permanent.



& Note: These abilities change Faith or Bravery by 20. 5 points of this change

is permanent.



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Earplug Speechcraft Yes 300 Cancels Speechcraft ability used on

character



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Equip Guns +* 800 Can equip guns regardless of job

Tame 500 Physical attacks will recruit

monsters if they have critical HP

(< 20% of max)

Beast Tongue +* 100 Can use Speechcraft against monsters



--Movement Abilities--

none



JP to master: 3900



--MY THOUGHTS--

Like Time Mages, Orators play a supplementary role. One of their main purpose

is to recruit enemy units -- if you want to recruit monsters on this team, you

need this job! (To recruit monsters, either use Entice + Beast Tongue, or

equip Tame and hit monsters with a physical attack.)



Equip Guns is the other key Orator ability. While Orators can equip guns

naturally, Equip Guns lets you transfer this ability to other jobs. Having the

long range of a gun is handy for "support" jobs that aren't going to be on the

front lines.



Finally, the Orator lets you play with Bravery and Faith statistics. Boosting

your Bravery is particularly useful as it increases the strenght of some

attacks and makes your Reaction Ability more likely to activate -- and has no

side effects. However, you can just as easily raise your Bravery with Ramza's

Steel ability, which also has the advantage that it never misses. Since Faith

controls both the damage you deal with magick and receive from enemy magick, it

can also be advantageous to raise your magick users' Faith (making them

stronger) and lower everyone else's Faith (since they won't be using magick,

decreasing their Faith makes enemy magick less effective). It's not essential

to tweak your Bravery and Faith like this, but if you DO want to do so, a good

tactic is to do it in a random battle against weaker monsters (e.g. at Mandalia

Plain), where you can use Speechcraft with less enemy interference. A tough

story battle is not a good place to grind Bravery and Faith.



You can safely skip Earplug since you'll face enemy Orators only very rarely.



---MYSTIC----------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : White Mage lv. 3

Needed for jobs : Orator (lv. 3), Arithmetician (lv. 4)



Equippable weapons: Staves, rods, poles, books Movement range : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes, robes Jump height : 3

Stats: Physical evade : 5%

HP: ** MP: **** Phys. Atk.: * Mag. Atk.: **** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Mystic Arts--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Umbra 4 RA 50 4/* 2/1 Any N 100 Causes Blind status

Empowerment * 2 50 4/* 1/- Any N 200 Drains MP from target to caster;

amount drained is 1/3 of

target's maximum MP

Invigoration 16 50 4/* 1/- Any N 350 Drains MP from target to caster;

amount drained is 1/4 of

target's maximum HP

Belief * 6 RA 25 4/* 1/- Any N 400 Causes Faith status (character

has 100 Faith; both character's

own magick and others' magick

targeting the character are

maximally effective)

Disbelief * 6 RA 25 4/* 1/- Any N 400 Causes Atheist status (character

cannot use magick but is also

immune to others' magick)

Corruption 20RA 20 4/* 1/- Any N 300 Causes Undead status

Quiescence 16RA 34 4/* 1/- Any N 170 Causes Silence status

Fervor 16RA 20 4/* 1/- Any N 400 Causes Berserk status

Trepidation * 20RA 25 4/* 1/- Any N 200 Lowers target's Bravery

Delirium 20RA 20 4/* 1/- Any N 400 Causes Confuse status

Harmony 34 A 34 4/* 1/- Any N 800 Removes Float, Reraise, Regen,

Invisible, Protect, Shell,

Haste, Faith, Reflect

Hesitation * 10RA 20 4/* 2/0 Any N 100 Causes Disable status

Repose 24RA 17 4/* 2/1 Any N 350 Causes Sleep status

Induration 16RA 10 4/* 1/- Any N 600 Causes Stone status



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Absorb MP Magick Yes 250 Gain MP equal to MP cost of spell



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Defense Boost * 400 Lowers physical damage received



--Movement Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Ignore Weather 200 Move through swamps at normal speed

even if it's raining; cancels

weather effects on Black Magick

Manafont 350 Restores some MP whenever you move



JP to master: 5970



--MY THOUGHTS--

Mystics specialize in inflicting status conditions on their foes. These spells

often fail, so if you want to use this job, a character with high Faith is

necessary to increase your success rate. In general, though, Mystic is just

not a very useful job. They don't have much in the way of direct offense or

defense, and their status affliction spells just aren't useful enough to

compensate for their charge time, MP cost, and success rate. Mustadio and,

later, Beowulf are much more effective at inflicting these kinds of status

conditions.



Defense Boost can be a somewhat useful support ability, however.



---GEOMANCER-------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Monk lv. 4

Needed for jobs : Ninja (lv. 2), Dancer (lv. 5), Mime (lv. 5),

Dark Knight (lv. 8)



Equippable weapons: Swords, axes Movement range : 4

Equippable armor: Shields, hats, clothes, robes Jump height : 3

Stats: Physical evade : 10%

HP: *** MP: **** Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Geomancy--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Sinkhole * 5/* 2/0 Any N 150 Non-elemental attack, causes

Immobilize

Torrent 5/* 2/0 Any N 150 Water attack, causes Toad

Tanglevine * 5/* 2/0 Any N 150 Non-elemental attack, causes Stop

Contortion * 5/* 2/0 Any N 150 Non-elemental attack, causes

Stone

Tremor 5/* 2/0 Any N 150 Earth attack, causes Confuse

Wind Slash * 5/* 2/0 Any N 150 Wind attack, causes Disable

Will-o'-the-Wisp * 5/* 2/0 Any N 150 Fire attack, causes Sleep

Quicksand 5/* 2/0 Any N 150 Water attack, causes Doom

Sandstorm 5/* 2/0 Any N 150 Wind attack, causes Blind

Snowstorm 5/* 2/0 Any N 150 Ice attack, causes Silence

Wind Blast 5/* 2/0 Any N 150 Wind attack, causes Slow

Magma Surge 5/* 2/0 Any N 150 Fire attack, instant KO



All Geomancy abilities do more damage when the user has high physical attack

and magick attack stats. Magick attack increases the damage more than physical

attack.



Note: During battle, only one Geomancy ability is available for use at any

given time. The available ability is determined by the terrain type of the

tile on which the user is standing:

Sinkhole : Soil, Wasteland

Torrent : Canal, River, Lake, Ocean, Waterfall

Tanglevine : Grassland, Underbrush, Vines

Contortion : Gravel, Flagstone, Stone Wall, Earthen Wall, Gravestone

Tremor : Stone Outcropping, Basalt

Wind Slash : Book, Tree, Brick, Bridge, Furnishings, Iron, Moss, Coffin

Will-o'-the-Wisp: Wooden Floor, Carpet, Coffer, Stairs, Wooden Deck

Quicksand : Marsh, Swamp, Poisonous Fen

Sandstorm : Sand, Stalactite, Salt Flat

Snowstorm : Snow

Wind Blast : Roof, Chimney

Magma Surge : Lava, Machinery



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Nature's Wrath Phys. attack Yes 300 Counter using Geomancy command

or Geomancy



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Attack Boost * 400 Raises physical attack damage



--Movement Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Ignore Terrain 220 Moving through water does not

decrease movement range

Lavawalking 150 Can move across and stop on lava

tiles



JP to master: 2870



--MY THOUGHTS--

Geomancers are sort of a hybrid physical/magick job -- they're pretty decent

fighters, and can also do long-range elemental and status attacks with their

Geomancy. When the Geomancer job first becomes available, it can be quite

useful. Geomancy doesn't cost any MP and activates instantly, and it can hit a

group of enemies. Unfortunately, as the game progresses, the damage inflicted

by Geomancy doesn't keep pace with enemy HP, and they quickly become less

useful. Plus, there's also the disadvantage that you don't have much choice

over the Geomancy attacks available at any given time -- at most, you can

choose between two or three different attacks by moving to tiles with different

terrain. You can't really choose a specific kind of status condition to

inflict.



Attack Boost, however, is a good support ability throughout the game and can be

useful for any fighting-oriented job (though not as good as Dual Wield). It

increases the power not just of the Attack command, but other "special"

physical attacks like sword techniques.



Lavawalking is the game's most singularly useless ability, as only a single,

optional map has lava on it, and it's usually a fairly easy battle anyway.

But, hey, it's only 150 JP, what a steal!



---DRAGOON---------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Thief lv. 4

Needed for jobs : Samurai (lv. 2), Dancer (lv. 5), Mime (lv. 5),

Dark Knight (lv. 8)



Equippable weapons: Polearms Movement range : 3

Equippable armor: Shields, helms, armor, robes Jump height : 4

Stats: Physical evade : 10%

HP: **** MP: * Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: * Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Jump--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Horizontal Jump 2 * 150 Extends horizontal range of Jump to

2 or fewer tiles

Horizontal Jump 3 350 Extends horizontal range of Jump to

3 or fewer tiles

Horizontal Jump 4 550 Extends horizontal range of Jump to

4 or fewer tiles

Horizontal Jump 5 800 Extends horizontal range of Jump to

5 or fewer tiles

Horizontal Jump 8 * 1100 Extends horizontal range of Jump to

8 or fewer tiles

Vertical Jump 2 * 100 Extends vertical range of Jump to 2

Vertical Jump 3 250 Extends vertical range of Jump to 3

Vertical Jump 4 400 Extends vertical range of Jump to 4

Vertical Jump 5 550 Extends vertical range of Jump to 5

Vertical Jump 6 700 Extends vertical range of Jump to 6

Vertical Jump 7 * 1000 Extends vertical range of Jump to 7

Vertical Jump 8 1500 Extends vertical range of Jump to 8



The Jump command causes the user to temporarily disappear from the battlefield

(by jumping off the screen). On return, the user strikes the targeted unit

with a physical attack, then bounces back to his/her original tile. All the

action abilities simply extend the maximum horizontal or vertical range of this

attack. The speed of a Jump is equal to twice the user's Speed statistic.

Jump does NOT require an unobstructed line of fire. (Note that the unit's tile

cannot be moved into while s/he is off the screen.)



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Dragonheart * Phys. Attack Yes 600 Cast Reraise on self (return once

from KO automatically)



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Equip Polearms + 400 Can equip Polearms regardless of job



--Movement Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Ignore Elevation * 700 Infinite jump height in movement



JP to master: 9150



--MY THOUGHTS--

Dragoons are sort of a souped-up Knight. They have comparable HP and attack

power, can equip armor, and their polearms have a range of two tiles. Dragoons

also have the Jump attack, which is quite effective. It does a good amount of

damage, potentially has a HUGE range (if you've learned the right abilities),

and puts the Dragoon temporarily out of damage. Just make sure your target

doesn't move out of the way and cancel your Jump attack! Unfortunately, you

can't preview the exact CT list for a Jump attack like you can with magicks,

but you can look at the enemy CT gauges when selecting a target. Don't target

any enemy who has a high CT gauge, especially if your character is relatively

slow.



A tip about learning the Jump action abilities: Each Horizontal Jump or

Vertical Jump ability replaces all the ones below it. In other words, if you

have Horizontal Jump 8, you can do a jump of 1-8 panels; you don't need to

learn any other remaining Horizontal Jumps. So, a good strategy is to just

learn a couple of the early Horizontal and Vertical Jump abilities (like

2 or 3) to give yourself a decent Jump, then save up your JP for Horizontal

Jump 8 and Vertical Jump 7 or 8. Once you get those, your Jump attack will be

amazing! Don't waste your JP building up your range one ability at a time.

(Horizontal Jump 8 is more advantageous to learn first because in most cases

you don't need that great a vertical range to your jump, anyways.)



Dragonheart and Ignore Elevation are also valuable abilities, though neither is

essential. Dragonheart gives you a Reraise when physically attacked, and

Ignore Elevation is helpful for taking shortcuts up and down towers and cliffs.

Note, however, that the Time Mage's Teleport gives you this same ability and

then some, so Ignore Elevation is kind of redundant. The only reason to learn

Ignore Elevation is if you've been building a melee-oriented character and

don't want to spend time earning JP as a Time Mage -- and, in fact, it can be

quite useful for this purpose.



---SAMURAI---------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Knight lv. 4, Monk lv. 5, Dragoon lv. 2

Needed for jobs : Dark Knight (lv. 8)



Equippable weapons: Katanas Movement range : 3

Equippable armor: Helms, armor, robes Jump height : 3

Stats: Physical evade : 20%

HP: ** MP: **** Phys. Atk.: ***** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Iaido--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Ashura Slf 3/3 Foe N 100 "Spirit Blade": Non-elemental

magick attack

Kotetsu Slf 3/3 Foe N 200 "Binding Darkness": Non-elemental

magick attack

Osafune Slf 3/3 Foe N 300 "Verse of Oblivion": Lowers enemy

MP

Murasame * Slf 3/3 Ally N 400 "Rain of Wisdom": Restores HP

Ama-no-Murakumo * Slf 3/3 Foe N 500 "Cloudsea Curse": Non-elemental

magick attack, causes Slow

Kiyomori Slf 3/3 Ally N 600 "Purifying Breeze": Gives Protect

and Shell status

Muramasa * Slf 3/3 Foe N 700 "Doomed Aspirations": Non-

elemental magick attack,

causes Confuse and Doom

Kiku-ichimonji 4Dir 8/3 Foe N 800 "Sanguine Blossom": Non-elemental

magick attack

Masamune Slf 3/3 Ally N 900 "Ethereal Embrace": Gives Regen

and Haste status

Chirijiraden Slf 3/3 Foe N 1000 "Raging Inferno": Non-elemental

magick attack



Iaido abilities can only be used if you possess the corresponding katana in

your inventory (NOT equipped on the character). There is a chance that the

katana will break when the ability is used. Aside from the Masamune and

Chirijiraden, all of the katanas can be purchased at the Outfitter, although

some do not become available until later in the game.



When Iaido abilities are used, a special attack name (not just the name of the

sword) is displayed -- these are listed in quotation marks above.



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Bonecrusher Critical HP Yes 200 Counterattack and do damage equal to

your own maximum HP

Shirahadori * Phys. Attack Yes 700 Evade physical attacks. Does not

work against bows and crossbows,

but DOES work against guns!



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Equip Katana + 400 Can equip Katanas regardless of job

Doublehand 900 Equip one weapon in two hands to

increase damage dealt



--Movement Abilities--

JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------

Swim 300 Can move and act even in water of

depth = 2 (i.e., water up to your

head)



JP to master: 8000



--MY THOUGHTS--

Somewhat like the Monk and Summoner, Iaido nicely mixes both offense and

healing. Murasame in particular is a GREAT healing ability, since it restores

HP to a large group and requires no charge time. Masamune is in theory also

very useful as it casts Regen and Haste to a group of characters, but its value

is more limited in practice since Masamunes are pretty hard to get.

Unfortunately, the downside to Iaido is that the katana have a tendency to

break pretty frequently, which means that this job expensive quickly. (Why,

it's almost like Samurai were throwing money at their enemies!) This means

Iaido actually tends to get more useful later on, when you have more spare cash

for katana. If you want to use a particular Iaido ability, bringing a couple

of copies of that katana into battle is a pretty good ability. Equipping

accessories that boosts your magick attack is also advantageous since damage

from Iaido depends on your magick attack stat, not physical attack.



Perhaps the best Samurai ability, then, is Shirahadori, which pumps up your

evade rate in accordance with your Bravery. With a high Bravery, you can be

virtually invulnerable to physical attacks! This is one of the best reaction

abilities in the game and definitely worth learning.



Note that the Samurai only has modest stats. They have limited HP, although

they can equip heavy armor to boost it. Their attack is pretty good, but since

they only have one katana for a weapon, they falter in comparison to the Ninja

(which gets TWO weapons) or the Knight (which can use knight's swords). Sure,

you can equip Doublehand to increase your attack power, but that uses up your

support ability slot.



Overall, my feeling is that Samurai is a decent job, but not quite as effective

as Dragoons or (especially) Ninja. However, Iaido is a good supplementary

Action Ability and can be particularly good when paired with a magick-oriented

job -- the job's high magick attack will increase the power of Iaido, and Iaido

gives a mage an alternative to magick that doesn't cost MP and doesn't require

charging.



---NINJA-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Archer lv. 4, Thief lv. 5, Geomancer lv. 2

Needed for jobs : Dark Knight (lv. 8)



Equippable weapons: Knives, ninja blades, flails Movement range : 4

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes Jump height : 4

Innate ability: Dual Wield Physical evade : 30%

Stats:

HP: * MP: * Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: ** Speed: *****



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Throw--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Shuriken * 5/* 1/- Any Y 50 Throw shuriken

Bomb 5/* 1/- Any Y 70 Throw bombs

Knife 5/* 1/- Any Y 100 Throw knives

Sword * 5/* 1/- Any Y 100 Throw swords

Flail * 5/* 1/- Any Y 100 Throw flails

Katana 5/* 1/- Any Y 100 Throw samurai katanas

Ninja Blade 5/* 1/- Any Y 100 Throw ninja blades

Axe 5/* 1/- Any Y 120 Throw axes

Polearm 5/* 1/- Any Y 100 Throw polearms

Pole 5/* 1/- Any Y 100 Throw poles

Knight's Sword 5/* 1/- Any Y 100 Throw knight's swords

Book 5/* 1/- Any Y 100 Throw books



The Throw command allows you to attack by throwing weapons & items from your

inventory. Obviously, the item/weapon is lost when it is thrown.



Note that some weapons can only be found in the game's multiplayer modes. Such

weapons cannot be thrown with the Throw command.



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Vanish Any HP loss Yes 1000 Gain Invisiblity status

Reflexes Any evadable No 400 Doubles existing evade %

attack



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Dual Wield +* 1000 Equip weapons in both hands



Note that the damage estimate for Dual Wielded attacks is just for the FIRST

attack -- if you have a weapon in both hands, the total damage will be much

higher!



--Movement Abilities--

JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------

Waterwalking 420 Stand on surface of water rather

than decreasing height to go

underwater. Can move on top of

deep water without penalty.



JP to master: 4040



--MY THOUGHTS--

With a high speed and attack strength, and the innate ability to wield two

weapons, Ninja make life very dangerous for your opponents. You can do a lot

of damage with two weapons, and their high speed means that Ninjas get to act

first and strike before your enemy does. (Plus, their good movement range

and jump height makes it easy for them to reach enemies.) Ninjas are effective

for sneaking in and taking out enemy archers, gunners, or mages before they can

get a spell or shot off. Overall, Ninja is one of the most effective standard

job. Aim for leveling up Archer and Thief quickly to unlock it!



Throw is also a pretty good action ability. It's not the strongest attack, but

throwing good weapons usually does a fair amount of damage and has a nice

range. The strongest weapon that you can buy to throw is the Morning Star

flail ... well, it's tied with the Slasher axe, but the Slasher costs more

money. Buying weapons does mean that the gil costs of Throw add up, but,

fortunately, you can always switch back to regular attacks since the Ninja's

regular attacks are good too.



Good abilities from other jobs to consider for your Ninja are Steal (Ninjas

have a very high speed, so this makes your steals more effective) and the

Monk's Brawler. Brawler lets you get two punches, which can be an extremely

strong physical attack, especially with high Bravery.



The main weakness of Ninjas (besides pirates) is their physical frailty; they

have very low HP and can't take much damage. This is particularly problematic

if you're using Ninjas to rush in and attack first -- they can get surrounded

and KOed while your other characters catch up. To solve this, you can equip

cloaks or Shirahadori to boost their evade rate, give them an Angel Ring or

Chantage or the Dragonheart reaction ability for a Reraise, or use Equip Heavy

Armor to gain more HP.



Note that Ninjas can equip both ninja blades and flails. Overall, flails are

stronger, but they're also more unpredictable -- sometimes they do MORE than

the estimated damage, sometimes they do LESS. This can be frustrating if

you're trying to finish off a weak enemy and end up not quite doing enough

damage. On the other hand, in the long run, flails DO do more damage. It's

your call whether you want to favor predictability or the potential for more

damage.



---ARITHMETICIAN---------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : White Mage lv. 5, Black Mage lv. 5,

Time Mage lv. 4, Mystic lv. 4

Needed for jobs : none



Equippable weapons: Poles, books Movement range : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes, robes Jump height : 3

Stats: Physical evade : 5%

HP: * MP: *** Phys. Atk.: * Mag. Atk.: * Speed: *



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Throw--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

CT n/a Any N 250 Base equations on CT

Level n/a Any N 350 Base equations on level

Exp n/a Any N 200 Base equations on EXP

Height * n/a Any N 250 Base equations on height

Prime * n/a Any N 300 Selects by prime number

Multiple of 5 n/a Any N 200 Selects by multiple of 5

Multiple of 4 * n/a Any N 400 Selects by multiple of 4

Multiple of 3 * n/a Any N 600 Selects by multiple of 3



Each time you use Arithmeticks, you select one from the first four abilities

and one from the second four abilities. This determines what characters the

ability will target. For example, selecting "Height" "Multiple of 5" will

target all characters whose current height on the map is a multiple of 5.

Finally, you select the magick to cast on these targets. Allowable magicks are

those marked with an "A" under Black Mage, White Mage, Time Mage, and Mystic

(see above). Note that you do NOT need those jobs' Action Abilities equipped;

Arithmeticks always allows access to ALL the allowable magicks you've learned.



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Cup of Life HP restore Yes 200 If healing ability used on character

restores more HP than is needed to

return to max HP, the excess HP is

distributed to the rest of the

party

Soulbind * Any HP loss Yes 300 Inflicted damage is divided between

you and the character who

inflicted it



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

EXP Boost * 350 Doubles EXP received in battle



--Movement Abilities--

JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------

Accrue EXP 400 Earn EXP whenever you move

Accure JP 400 Earn JP whenever you move



JP to master: 4550



--MY THOUGHTS--

Arithmeticians are extremely powerful magick-wielders. Unlike conventional

magick, Arithmeticks takes no time to charge, can strike all the way across the

board, and costs no MP! By trying different combinations of multiple and

CT/Level/EXP/Height, you can customize exactly who your magick is going to hit.



Note that you can preview who Arithmeticks will hit before you use it. Look

for the characters with yellow targeting tiles at their feet. If you don't

like the combination of targets you're getting, cancel back a few menus and

pick a different match of base and multiple. You can't always target exactly

the characters you want, but you can usually get reasonably close. Check out

the Arithmeticks Chart (Ctrl+F and then 00arith) for help targeting.



The problem is that Arithmeticians also require a lot of JP to reach this level

of power. First of all, you need to learn spells from the other magick-using

jobs, then you have to learn all the Arithmeticks abilities to make your

targeting flexible. Moreover, Arithmeticians are REALLY pokey and don't get

many turns, making them slow to earn JP. (Giving them an accessory to boost

their speed will help.)



Arithmeticks also have a very low magick strength, so their spells won't be too

effective while they're still an Arithmetician. To remedy this, change the

Arithmetician into a Black Mage after you've learned all their abilities and

set their second action ability to Arithmeticks. In this highly-evolved form,

they can toast enemies around the battlefield or heal your whole party, without

even having to charge or use MP!



In other words, Arithmeticians are great if you want to spend the time to build

them up, but you certainly don't need them to beat the regular game.



---BARD------------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Summoner lv. 5, Orator lv. 5, MALE characters only

Needed for jobs : none



Equippable weapons: Instruments Movement range : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes Jump height : 3

Stats: Physical evade : 5%

HP: * MP: * Phys. Atk.: * Mag. Atk.: **** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Bardsong--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Seraph Song * 17 All allies N 100 Restores MP

Life's Anthem 17 All allies N 100 Restores HP

Rousing Melody * 13 All allies N 100 Raises speed by 1

Battle Chant * 13 All allies N 100 Raises physical attack power by 1

Magickal Refrain 10 All allies N 100 Raises magick attack power by 1

Nameless Song * 10 All allies N 100 Gives Reraise, Regen, Protect,

Shell, or Haste

Finale * 5 All allies N 100 Fills CT to 100 (instant turn!)



Bardsong abilities activate repeatedly until a new command is entered for the

character. This means that even if you wait out your turns (causing your CT

gauge to fill more quickly), you can keep activating the ability!



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Magick Boost Any HP loss Yes 500 Magick attack power + 1

Faith Boost Magick Yes 400 Faith + 3



--Support Abilities--

none



--Movement Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Move +3 * 1000 Movement range + 3

Fly 5000 Ignore terrain and obstacles while

moving



JP to master: 7900



--MY THOUGHTS--

Bards can cast a variety of buffs to your whole party, regardless of where the

characters are standing. Boosting your speed and attack/magic power, or

quickly filling your CT gauge, can help your whole team fight more effectively.

On the other hand, Bards can't do much ELSE; they have very little HP or MP and

a weak attack. Also, their buffs don't always succeed and will miss quite a

few of your party members each time they're used.



Bards can learn Fly, which costs an astronomical 5000 JP! Since Fly is

basically just a more expensive Teleport, it's not worth the JP cost at all.

On the other hand, Move +3 is much more reasonably priced and is extremely

effective for getting around the map quickly! Of course, if you have Move +3,

then Move +1 and Move +2 become completely obsolete.



---DANCER----------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Geomancer lv. 5, Dragoon lv. 5, FEMALE characters only

Needed for jobs : none



Equippable weapons: Knives, cloths Movement range : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes Jump height : 3

Stats: Physical evade : 5%

HP: * MP: * Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Dance--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Witch Hunt 17 All enemies N 100 Lowers enemy MP

Mincing Minuet 17 All enemies N 100 Lowers enemy HP

Slow Dance * 13 All enemies N 100 Lowers enemy speed by 1

Polka 13 All enemies N 100 Lowers enemy physical attack by 1

Heathen Frolick * 10 All enemies N 100 Lowers enemy magical attack by 1

Forbidden Dance * 10 All enemies N 100 Causes Blind, Confuse, Silence,

Toad, Poison, Slow, Stop, or

Sleep

Last Waltz 5 All enemies N 100 Empties enemy CT



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Fury Any HP loss Yes 600 Physical attack power + 1

Bravery Boost Physical atk Yes 700 Bravery + 3



--Support Abilities--

none



--Movement Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Jump +3 1000 Jump height + 3

Fly 5000 Can fly over terrain and enemies



JP to master: 8000



--MY THOUGHTS--

Whereas Bards cast buffs to help your entire party, Dancers lower the stats of

the entire party. Mincing Minuet does far too little damage to bother with,

but lowering enemy speed or attack power, or inflicting status conditions with

Forbidden Dance, can be useful.



Dancers tend to be better than Bards. Since there are generally more bad guys

on the map than party members, it's more effective to drop the enemies' stats

than boost your own. Plus, they have a stronger physical attack. Dancers also

work well with the Knight's Parry ability, as their cloth weapons have a VERY

high parry rate (50%).



As with Bard, Fly is definitely not worth 5000 JP ... and Jump +3 is pretty

pointless too, since Teleport essentially duplicates all its effects and costs

fewer JP!



---MIME------------------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Squire lv. 8, Chemist lv. 8, Summoner lv. 5,

Orator lv. 5, Geomancer lv. 5, Dragoon lv. 5

Needed for jobs : none



Equippable weapons: None Movement range : 4

Equippable armor: None Jump height : 4

Stats: Physical evade : 5%

HP: ***** MP: * Phys. Atk.: ***** Mag. Atk.: **** Speed: *****



--ABILITIES--

NO ABILITIES

The Mime copies every action that your other characters take.



--MY THOUGHTS--

Mimes aren't quite as good as you'd think. They only mimic abilities in the

exact direction and range that they were originally used, which means they

usually miss. However, if you use them very carefully, they can be useful, as

they could potentially double the number of actions you take. Try pairing a

Mime with a Arithmetician -- everything spell the Arithmetician calculates, the

Mime will repeat for twice the effect (of course, you could just make two

Arithmeticians instead...).



---DARK KNIGHT-----------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Knight MASTERED, Black Mage MASTERED, Samurai lv. 8,

Ninja lv. 8, Geomancer lv. 8, Dragoon lv. 8, must kill 20

enemies (so that they turn into chests/crystals) with the

character

Needed for jobs : none



Equippable weapons: Swords, knight's swords, Movement range : 3

fell swords, axes, flails Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Shields, helms, clothes, armor, robes Physical evade : 0%

Stats:

HP: *** MP: **** Phys. Atk.: ***** Mag. Atk.: ** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Darkness--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Sanguine Sword * 3/* 1/- Any N 300 Drains HP

Infernal Strike 3/* 1/- Any N 500 Drains MP

Crushing Blow 3/* 1/2 Any N 100 Attack, causes Stop. Element of

this attack is based on element

of user's current weapon.

Abyssal Blade * 3/Cone 3/2 Any N 1200 Non-elemental attack; does more

damage to units closer to

caster. Consumes HP equal to

20% of user's maximum HP

Unholy Sacrifice * Slf 3/3 All N 1200 Dark attack, causes Slow.

Consumes HP equal to 30% of

user's max HP. The greater the

user's max HP, the more damage

this ability does.



Darkness techniques have a 100% hit rate. However, they cannot be used unless

the user is equipped with a sword, knight's sword, or fell sword.



--Reaction Abilities--

none



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

HP Boost * 2000 Increases maximum HP by 20%

Vehemence * 400 Attack strength up by 50%, but

increases damage received by 50%



--Movement Abilities--

JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------

Move +3# * 1000 Movement range + 3

Jump +3# 1000 Jump height + 3



#: Move +3 is available for female Dark Knights, Jump +3 for males.



JP to master: 6700



--MY THOUGHTS--

Well, Dark Knights are very strong. They have the strongest attack power of

any regular job, can equip knight's swords and heavy armor, and pretty much

all of their abilities are great (though Crushing Blow, Abyssal Blade, and

Unholy Sacrifice are all height-limited). Note that you can negate the HP

costs associated with Abyssal Blade and Unholy Sacrifice by equipping the

Time Mage ability Mana Shield. Dark Knights are also the only job (aside from

Onion Knights, of course) that can equip the fell swords, special weapons found

in the game's multiplayer mode.



So what's the catch? Well, the requirements for this job are also

astronomical. You need to completely master two other jobs (one physical, one

magickal) and get four other jobs up to level 8 ... plus you need to kill

20 enemies with the character. By the time you do all that, you'll probably be

tough enough that you don't even *need* the Dark Knight job!



So, while the Dark Knight is indisputably powerful, it's also quite

unnecessary as far as the completing the single-player mode. It's fun to play

with if you do unlock it, but you definitely don't need to jump through the

hoops if you don't want to.



---ONION KNIGHT----------------------------------------------------------------

Required jobs : Squire lv. 6, Chemist lv. 6

Needed for jobs : None



Equippable weapons: All Movement range : 3

Equippable armor: All Jump height : 3

Physical evade : 5%

Stats: when job lv.8: 30%

HP: * MP: * Phys. Atk.: * Mag. Atk.: * Speed: ***

Upon reaching job level 8 (see below), the Onion Knight's stats will increase:

HP: ***** MP: ***** Phys. Atk.: ***** Mag. Atk.: **** Speed: *****



--ABILITIES--

NO ABILITIES

The Onion Knight cannot use any abilities, but can use any kind of equipment.

Even items normally reserved for female characters can be used by male Onion

Knights (and by female Onion Knights, too, of course).



--MY THOUGHTS--

Taken in their base form, Onion Knights seem how exactly how the game describes

them: sad. Sure, they can equip any piece of equipment, but they have

terrible stats and NO abilities. Even if you gave them a good sword and armor,

they'd still be just a weaker Knight with no abilities. Plus, they don't gain

experience from taking actions.



So what's the point of Onion Knights? Well, for every two other jobs you

master, the job level of Onion Knight increases. If you master 16 jobs and

get Onion Knight to job level 8, their stats will see a BIG increase. (Yes,

mastering 16 jobs is a LOT of abilities to learn.) Also, if you play the

game's multiplayer mode, you can earn the Onion gear, very strong equipment

that can only be used by Onion Knights. With these two things, Onion Knights

can be very strong melee fighters, although they still have no abilities.



The Onion Knight also gains the best stat bonuses on level-up, but since they

don't get EXP from attacking and can't equip Steal EXP, the only way to level

them up is with the Wild Boar's Bequeath Bacon ability (available with the

Beastmaster support ability). Since Wild Boars can only be obtained by

breeding them from a Swine or from other Wild Boars, this can take quite a

while.



If you're not interested in spending a lot of time leveling up your jobs or

breeding Wild Boars, you probably won't have much use for the Onion Knight.

(And you certainly don't *need* them for the single-player mode!) But, if you

want to spend the time, you'll end up with the best stats available in the

game!



%%%SPECIAL JOBS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00job2



These are special jobs used by specific story characters. They aren't

available to generic characters. In all cases where a story character has a

special job, the special job replaces the Squire job for that character.



All the special jobs have the same reaction, support, and movement abilities as

the Squire job (which they replace). Therefore, I haven't bothered to list

them. The exceptions are the Ark Knight, Automaton, and Byblos jobs, which

do have different abilities.



---SQUIRE [RAMZA]--------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Ramza Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Knives, swords, Jump height : 3

knight's swords (ch. 4), flails Physical evade : 10%

Equippable armor: Shields (ch. 2+), hats, helms (ch. 2+),

clothes, armor (ch. 2+), robes

Stats:

HP: **** MP: **** Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Mettle--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Focus * Slf 1/- Self - 300 Raises physical attack power by 1

for duration of battle

Rush 1/1 1/- Any - 80 Weak physical attack, may knock

enemy back one tile; does

variable damage (may be more or

less than estimate)

Stone 4/* 1/- Any Y 90 Weak (ranged) physical attack,

may knock enemy back one tile;

does variable damage (may be

more or less than estimate)

Salve 1/2 1/- Any - 150 Cures Blind, Silence, Poison

Tailwind * 3/* 1/- Any N 200 Raises speed by 1 for duration of

battle

Chant * 1/3 1/- Any - 0 Restores HP, Ramza loses HP equal

to 1/2 of amount healed

Steel (ch. 2+) * 3/* 1/- Any N 200 Raises Bravery by 5 #

Shout (ch. 4) * Slf 1/- Self - 500 Raises Bravery by 10 #, physical

and magick strength by 1, speed

by 1

Ultima (ch. 4) 10 20 4/* 2/1 Any N & Non-elemental magick attack



JP to master: 2570



# Note: These abilities increase your Bravery. Most of this change remains

only for the battle, but for every 4 points you increase your Bravery during

battle, you get a 1 point permanent increase in Bravery.



Ultima can only be learned by having Luso or an enemy cast it on Ramza; see the

"Learning Ultima" section under Various Tricks for more information on this.



--MY THOUGHTS--

Ramza's Squire job is powered up quite a bit relative to a regular Squire. He

has better stats, some extra abilities, and he can equip knight's swords and

heavy armor. (Unlike a regular Squire, though, he can't use axes, oddly

enough.)



Most of Ramza's extra abilities are quite useful. Tailwind is a speed boost,

Steel is a Bravery boost, and Shout raises all stats but only works on Ramza.

Steel is particulary useful as it's the fastest way of permanently adding to

your Bravery; it has a 100% hit rate and costs no MP. Whenever Ramza has a

spare turn, it's a good idea to have him use Steel to boost a teammate's

Bravery (or Shout to boost his own); increasing your Bravery makes your

reaction abilities much more effective. In a pinch, Chant is good for healing

too. On the other hand, the Ultima spell is actually pretty weak, especially

given that you have to go out of your way to learn it.



So, Mettle makes for a good set of support abilities. But since Ramza doesn't

have much in the way of direct attack abilities and only one healing ability

that also hurts him, you'll probably eventually want to supplement Mettle with

some other abilities. You can switch Ramza to another job (I like to make him

Monk or a Ninja) and equip Mettle as your second command. Or, since his Squire

job is pretty strong statistically, learn abilities with a different job and

then switch him back to Squire!



If you're trying to master lots of jobs for the purposes of powering up Onion

Knight, note that Ramza's Squire job isn't Mastered until he learns Ultima.



---SQUIRE [DELITA]-------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Delita (ch. 1) Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Knives, swords, flails Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes, robes Physical evade : 5%

Stats:

HP: **** MP: **** Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Mettle--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Focus * Slf 1/- Self - 300 Raises physical attack power by 1

for duration of battle

Rush 1/1 1/- Any - 80 Weak physical attack, may knock

enemy back one tile; does

variable damage (may be more or

less than estimate)

Stone 4/* 1/- Any Y 90 Weak (ranged) physical attack,

may knock enemy back one tile;

does variable damage (may be

more or less than estimate)

Salve 1/2 1/- Any - 150 Cures Blind, Silence, Poison

Chant * 1/3 1/- Any - 0 Restores HP, Delita loses HP

equal to 1/2 of amount healed



JP to master: 1620



--MY THOUGHTS--

Like Ramza's, Delita's Squire job has superior stats to a regular Squire,

although he only has one extra ability, Chant. Chant comes in quite useful

during Chapter I, as it lets Delita heal other party members for a substantial

amount (albeit at the cost of some of his own HP). Expect to see the guest AI

using it fairly frequently.



---SQUIRE [ARGATH]-------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Argath (ch. 1) Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Knives, swords, axes, flails Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes Physical evade : 15%

Stats:

HP: **** MP: **** Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Fundaments--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Focus * Slf 1/- Self - 300 Raises physical attack power by 1

for duration of battle

Rush 1/1 1/- Any - 80 Weak physical attack, may knock

enemy back one tile; does

variable damage (may be more or

less than estimate)

Stone 4/* 1/- Any Y 90 Weak (ranged) physical attack,

may knock enemy back one tile;

does variable damage (may be

more or less than estimate)

Salve 1/2 1/- Any - 150 Cures Blind, Silence, Poison

Rend Helm Weapon Any Y 300 Destroys target's headgear

Rend Armor Weapon Any Y 400 Destroys target's armor



JP to master: 2320



--MY THOUGHTS--

Again, compared to a regular Squire, Argath has better stats and a couple extra

abilities: Rend Helm and Rend Armor. They'd be nice to use, but since Argath

only gains JP during story battles (he doesn't participate in random battles),

you likely won't even have a chance to learn them. Instead, you may want to

supplement him with a Black Magick spell or two if available, or perhaps Items.



---FELL KNIGHT-----------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Gaffgarion Movement range : 3

Equippable weapons: Swords, knight's swords Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Shields, helms, armor, robes Physical evade : 15%

Stats:

HP: ***** MP: **** Phys. Atk.: *** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ****



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Fell Sword--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Shadowblade * 3/* 1/- Any N 0 Absorbs HP from target

Duskblade 3/* 1/- Any N 500 Absorbs MP from target



Fell Sword techniques have a 100% hit rate. However, they cannot be used

unless Gaffgarion is equipped with a sword, knight's sword, or fell sword.



JP to master: 1650



--MY THOUGHTS--

Gaffgarion is cool, but he's only in your party for two battles plus the intro

battle at the start of the game. But, his Shadowblade technique is quite

powerful (and restores some of Gaffgarion's HP!), so he'll be helpful while

you've got him.



---HOLY KNIGHT-----------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Agrias, Delita (ch. 2+) Movement range : 3

Equippable weapons: Swords, knight's swords Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Shields, helms, armor, robes Physical evade : 25%

Stats:

HP: ***** MP: **** Phys. Atk.: *** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Holy Sword--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Judgment Blade * 2/* 2/0 Any N 0 Physical attack, causes Stop

Cleansing Strike 3/2 1/- Any N 400 Physical attack, causes Doom

Northswain's Strike 3/1 1/- Any N 500 Physical attack, instant KO

Hallowed Bolt * 3/* 2/1 Any N 700 Physical attack, causes Silence

Divine Ruination * 4Dir 5/2 Any N 800 Physical attack, causes Confuse

Chant (Delita only) * 1/3 1/- Any - 0 Restores HP, Delita loses HP

equal to 1/2 of amount healed



Holy Sword techniques have a 100% hit rate. However, they cannot be used

unless Agrias/Delita is equipped with a sword, knight's sword, or fell sword.



JP to master: 3450



--MY THOUGHTS--

Agrias's sword techniques makes her an invaluable member of your party as soon

as she joins, and she'll stay that way pretty much throughout the game. Her

Holy Sword abilities are great because they do a lot of damage, require no

charge time or MP, and have a few panels' range! She's likely to be a major

part of your offense, especially before you get Orlandeau, who has all of

Agrias's abilities and then some. Even with Orlandeau available, though,

Agrias still makes for a good fighter; she's just not quite *as* strong ;).



You may want to save up your JP for Hallowed Bolt and Divine Ruination, her

best techniques. Divine Ruination is her strongest technique and can damage

quite a few enemies if they all happen to be standing on a straight line.

Hallowed Bolt isn't quite as strong, but it works on a diagonal and can strike

multiple enemies standing next to each other.



Note that since sword techniques are considered physical attacks, the

Geomancer's Attack Boost can make them even stronger!



Delita's version of the Holy Knight job is even tougher, but he only shows up

as a Holy Knight for a few battles.



---PRINCESS--------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Ovelia Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Staves Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes, robes Physical evade : 20%

Stats:

HP: *** MP: **** Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Holy Magicks--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Aegis * 30 25 5/* 1/- Any N 0 Gives Reraise, Regen, Protect,

Shell, and Haste status

Dispelna 20 25 4/* 1/- Any N 0 Cures Stone, Confuse, Silence,

Vampire, Toad, Poison, Stop,

Sleep, Immobilize, and Disable

JP to master: 1050



--MY THOUGHTS--

Well, Ovelia only fights in a few battles, but she's actually a useful

character (you wouldn't expect her to be, but she is!). Aegis is a great spell

since it casts 5 different buffs at once; unfortunately, since you can't

control her, she'll mostly cast it on herself.



---MACHINIST-------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Mustadio Movement range : 3

Equippable weapons: Knives, guns Jump height : 4

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes Physical evade : 18%

Stats:

HP: *** MP: *** Phys. Atk.: *** Mag. Atk.: **** Speed: ****



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Aimed Shot--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Leg Shot Weapon Any Y 200 Causes Immobilize status

Arm Shot * Weapon Any Y 300 Causes Disable status

Seal Evil * Weapon Any Y 200 Turns undead to Stone



JP to master: 1750



--MY THOUGHTS--

With his Arm Shot ability and a gun, Mustadio can disable enemies from across

the battlefield. This is a great ability since it effectively stops enemy from

taking any kind of action for a few turns. You can Disable enemy mages to keep

them from casting spells while the rest of your team is trying to reach them,

or Disable a melee fighter and have the rest of your team pounce on him/her

without fear of reprisal. Or, when you're just faced with a lot of enemies at

once, Disabling a few can make the crowd more manageable. Since Disable also

shuts down reaction abilities, you can also use it to stop monsters from

counter-attacking you or to keep humans from recovering from your attacks.

Towards the very end of the game, it becomes slightly less useful since many

human enemies are equipped with Thief's Caps, which renders them immune to

Disable status.



Seal Evil is also useful: it turns undead enemies to stone, which not only

defeats them instantly, but prevents them from reviving. (And it has a high

hit rate!) Although you won't face undead enemies in too many battles, it's

quite handy in the ones where you do.



In order for Mustadio's Aimed Shot abilities to keep their long range, Mustadio

needs to stay equipped with a gun. Once you've finished learning his Aimed

Shot abilities, you may want to consider switching him to a Chemist, another

job that can equip guns. This will let him supplement his Aimed Shots with the

ability to heal your teammates.



Once you get Balthier, though, Mustadio essentially becomes obsolete, since

Balthier has even more abilities and better stats.



---ASTROLOGER------------------------------------------------------------------

Used by: Orran Movement range : 3

Equippable weapons: Books Jump height : 4

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes Physical evade : 15%



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Astrology--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Celestial Stasis * 20 All foes! N 0 Causes Stop, Immobilize, or

Disable

Focus * Slf 1/- Self - 300 Raises physical attack power by 1

for duration of battle

Rush 1/1 1/- Any - 80 Weak physical attack, may knock

enemy back one tile; does

variable damage (may be more or

less than estimate)

Stone 4/* 1/- Any Y 90 Weak (ranged) physical attack,

may knock enemy back one tile;

does variable damage (may be

more or less than estimate)

Salve 1/2 1/- Any - 150 Cures Blind, Silence, Poison



JP to master: 1865



--MY THOUGHTS--

Orran is ludicrously powerful, thanks to his Celestial Stasis spell, which will

debilitate most of the enemies on the board every time he uses it and doesn't

even cost any MP! Too bad he only shows up in one battle and you don't even

get to control him :(



---CLERIC----------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Alma Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Staves Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes, robes Physical evade : 18%

Stats:

HP: *** MP: **** Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Holy Magicks--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Aegis * 30 25 5/* 1/- Any N 0 Gives Reraise, Regen, Protect,

Shell, and Haste status

Dispelna 20 25 4/* 1/- Any N 0 Cures Stone, Confuse, Silence,

Vampire, Toad, Poison, Stop,

Sleep, Immobilize, and Disable

Ultima 10 20 4/* 2/1 Any N & Non-elemental magick attack

Chant * 1/3 1/- Any - 0 Restores HP, Alma loses HP equal

to 1/2 of amount healed

JP to master: 1050



--MY THOUGHTS--

Alma is almost identical to Ovelia, except that she has Chant. As with Ovelia,

Aegis is a great support spell, so she'll be useful during the few battles

where you can control her. You can use Items to keep up her MP and allow her

to keep casting the spell.



It's a good idea to de-equip Alma of her all gear before you go to Orbonne

Monastery in Chapter III, since most of it can't be bought in stores.



When Alma rejoins during the final battle, it is possible for her to learn

Ultima from casting Ramza or Luso casting it on her, but you're better off with

her Aegis spell!



---GAME HUNTER-----------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Luso Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Knives, swords, knight's swords, Jump height : 3

flails Physical evade : 10%

Equippable armor: Shields, hats, helms, clothes, armor,

robes

Innate ability: Poach

Stats:

HP: **** MP: **** Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Huntcraft--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Focus * Slf 1/- Self - 300 Raises physical attack power by 1

for duration of battle

Rush 1/1 1/- Any - 80 Weak physical attack, may knock

enemy back one tile; does

variable damage (may be more or

less than estimate)

Stone 4/* 1/- Any Y 90 Weak (ranged) physical attack,

may knock enemy back one tile;

does variable damage (may be

more or less than estimate)

Salve 1/2 1/- Any - 150 Cures Blind, Silence, Poison

Tailwind * 3/* 1/- Any N 200 Raises speed by 1 for duration of

battle

Chant * 1/3 1/- Any - 0 Restores HP, Luso loses HP equal

to 1/2 of amount healed

Steel * 3/* 1/- Any N 200 Raises Bravery by 5

Shout * Slf 1/- Self - 500 Raises Bravery by 10, attack and

magick strength by 1, speed by

1

Ultima 10 20 4/* 2/1 Any N & Non-elemental magick attack



JP to master: 4430



Ultima can only be learned by having Ramza or an enemy cast it on Luso; see the

"Learning Ultima" section under Various Tricks for more information on this.



--MY THOUGHTS--

Luso is basically a clone of Ramza, even down to his stats, and so has the same

strengths and weaknesses. Luso's main distinguishing feature is his innate

Poach ability, which can be nice for hunting for the rare items you get from

poaching some monsters.



Overall, Luso's OK -- but you already have one Ramza, and *that* Ramza is the

one you're required to use in story battles. As a result, Luso is sadly pretty

redundant in most cases. Ramza's abilities aren't good enough that you need

two people in the party using them, not when you fill that slot in your party

with a character who has a different set of abilities.



If you're trying to master lots of jobs for the purposes of powering up Onion

Knight, note that Game Hunter isn't Mastered until Luso learns Ultima.



---SKYSEER---------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Rapha Movement range : 3

Equippable weapons: Staves, poles Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes, robes Physical evade : 10%

Stats:

HP: *** MP: **** Phys. Atk.: *** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ****



--Action Abilities: Sky Mantra--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Heaven's Wrath * 34 4/* 2/3 Any N 100 Lightning attack, strikes random

tiles within radius

Ashura 25 4/* 2/3 Any N 200 Fire attack, strikes random tiles

within radius

Adamantine Blade 20 4/* 2/3 Any N 300 Wind attack, strikes random tiles

within radius

Maelstrom 17 4/* 2/3 Any N 400 Water attack, strikes random

tiles within radius

Celestial Void * 20 4/* 2/3 Any N 500 Non-elemental magick attack,

strikes random tiles within

radius. Causes Blind, Confuse,

Silence, Toad, Poison, Slow,

or Sleep

Divinity 15 4/* 2/3 Any N 600 Earth attack, strikes random

tiles within radius



Sky Mantra attacks do not take enemy Faith into consideration. This is unlike

most magick attacks, which do high damage to targets with high Faith and low

damage to enemies with low Faith.



JP to master: 3150



--MY THOUGHTS--

As you've probably observed during her time as a guest, Rapha's Sky Mantra

abilities are pretty useless. They strike random tiles within their effect

radius, making them often as likely to hit your allies as your enemies, and

they don't even do all that much damage anyway. (Plus, they take time to

charge.)



On the other hand, given her low Bravery, Rapha is a character that can easily

be made into a good Treasure Hunter. (You're more likely to get good items

with Treasure Hunter if your Bravery is low.) And, if you're planning to

tackle the bonus dungeon, you'll definitely want a Treasure Hunter! Of course,

it's not in any way necessary to specifically use Rapha for this; any other

character with low Bravery works fine. Rapha just tends to be convenient since

her Bravery is already pretty low to start with -- and you may want to lower

her Bravery even further with the Orator's Intimidate to increase your odds

further.



---NETHERSEER------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Marach Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Rods, poles Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes, robes Physical evade : 8%

Stats:

HP: *** MP: **** Phys. Atk.: *** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ****



--Action Abilities: Nether Mantra--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Hell's Wrath * 34 4/* 2/3 Any N 100 Lightning attack, strikes random

tiles within radius

Nether Ashura 25 4/* 2/3 Any N 200 Fire attack, strikes random tiles

within radius

Nether Blade 20 4/* 2/3 Any N 300 Wind attack, strikes random tiles

within radius

Nether Maelstrom 17 4/* 2/3 Any N 400 Water attack, strikes random

tiles within radius

Corporeal Void * 20 4/* 2/3 Any N 500 Non-elemental magick attack,

strikes random tiles within

radius. Causes Blind, Confuse,

Silence, Toad, Poison, Slow,

or Sleep

Impiety 15 4/* 2/3 Any N 600 Earth attack, strikes random

tiles within radius



Nether Mantra attacks do increased damage to enemies with LOW Faith, and when

Marach has LOW Faith. This is the opposite of most magick attacks, which do

more damage when Faith is high. (Note, however, the Faith and Atheist status

conditions still effect Nether Mantra in the usual way.)



JP to master: 3150



--MY THOUGHTS--

Marach's abilities are quite similar to Rapha's in that they strike random

tiles. His main interesting feature is that Nether Mantra does more damage to

enemies with LOW Faith (the reverse of regular magick), with gives you a magick

attack that's actually effective against low-Faith enemies. Unfortunately,

since Nether Mantra is so random, it's still not all that useful.



While Rapha can easily be turned into a Treasure Hunter thanks to her low

starting Bravery, Marach has a pretty average Bravery and isn't particularly

good for this. In other words: there's generally not much of a reason to put

Marach in your party, and he's usually considered the least useful of the story

characters. If you're not set on having all the story characters on your

roster, you could even skip recruiting him--or sign him up, take his equipment,

and then delete him.



If you do want to use Marach, you can always switch him to some standard job

instead of relying on his Nether Mantra abilities. Of course, then he's really

no different from any other generic character.



---TEMPLAR---------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Beowulf Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Knives, swords, knight's swords Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Shields, helms, armor, robes Physical evade : 14%

Stats:

HP: **** MP: ***** Phys. Atk.: ***** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ****



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Spellblade--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Blind 6 4/* 1/- Any N 50 Inflicts Blind status

Syphon * 2 4/* 1/- Any N 100 Absorbs MP from target (amount =

1/4 of target's max MP)

Drain 12 4/* 1/- Any N 180 Absorbs HP from target (amount =

1/4 of target's max HP)

Faith 10 4/* 1/- Any N 200 Causes Faith status (character

has 100 Faith; both character's

own magick and others' magick

targeting the character are

maximally effective)

Doubt 10 4/* 1/- Any N 200 Causes Atheist status (character

cannot use magick but is also

immune to others' magick)

Zombie 14 4/* 1/- Any N 150 Causes Undead condition

Silence 16 4/* 1/- Any N 90 Causes Silence

Berserk 16 4/* 1/- Any N 200 Causes Berserk

Chicken * 12 4/* 1/- Any N 500 Lowers target's Bravery by 50

Confuse 14 4/* 1/- Any N 200 Causes Confuse

Dispel 20 4/* 1/- Any N 300 Removes Float, Reraise, Regen,

Invisible, Protect, Shell,

Haste, Faith, Reflect

Disable * 14 4/* 1/- Any N 50 Causes Disable status

Sleep 20 4/* 1/- Any N 170 Causes Sleep

Break * 24 4/* 1/- Any N 300 Causes Stone

Vengeance * 20 8/* 1/- Any N 600 Deals damage = (Beowulf's max HP

minus Beowulf's current HP)



Spellblade techniques cannot be used unless Beowulf is equipped with a sword,

knight's sword, or fell sword.



JP to master: 4340



--MY THOUGHTS--

Beowulf is essentially a Mystic on steroids -- like a Mystic, he specializes in

inflicing status conditions, but his abilities don't need to charge and in some

cases cost less MP than the Mystic equivalent! Plus, with a knight's sword,

he can be a pretty good fighter, and Templar has the highest MP of any job in

the game.



A trio of Spellblade abilities are particularly useful. First off, Chicken

drops an enemy's Bravery by 50, which will turn it into a useless chicken in

one shot if the enemy's Bravery is less than 60. It has a 70-100% hit rate,

and it only costs 12 MP! It's a great ability for quickly reducing the number

of enemies you need to fight at once, and is also a pretty good way of

prolonging a battle (e.g. to hunt for items in the bonus dungeon). Vengeance

is also a great ranged attack that can do quite a bit of damage when Beowulf is

low on HP (and it has a fantastic range of EIGHT panels); the main downside is

that it's useless at the start of a battle when Beowulf hasn't been harmed yet.

Finally, Beowulf's Break spell also has a pretty high chance of turning an

enemy instantly to stone.



---AUTOMATON-------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Construct 8 Movement range : 3

Equippable weapons: none Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: none Physical : 0%

Innate abilities: Counter, Ignore Terrain, Ignore Weather#, cannot enter water.

Construct 8 is also immune to most status conditions, all elements except

thunder, and (by virtue of having 0 Faith) all magick. It's weak to Lightning,

but only non-magickal Lightning attacks since it's immune to magick.



# Since Construct 8 has no magick and can't enter water, its Ignore Weather

would appear not to ever actually do anything. What in the world?



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Tasks--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Destroy 1/2 1/- Any - 0 Physical attack

Compress 1/2 1/- Any - 0 Instant KO

Dispose * 8/* 1/- Any N 0 Physical attack

Pulverize 1/0 1/- Any - 0 Physical attack



All Tasks abilities consume some of Construct 8's HP when used.



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Counter Automatically eqppd. Yes 0 Counter-attack with physical attack



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

----------------------------------------------------------

Defense Boost Automatically eqpd. 0 Lowers damage received from physical

attacks



--Movement Abilities--

none



JP to master: 0



--MY THOUGHTS--

Since Construct 8 is a special "monster," it can't change jobs, use equipment,

or learn new abilities. That means it's not a very customizable character and

has pretty much a fixed set of strengths and weaknesses.



One of Construct 8's great strengths is its Dispose ability, which has a range

of 8 panels and never misses. It's only moderately strong, but the range and

hit rate make it good for taking out enemy mages and gunners/archers.

Construct 8 is also great on defense, since it's immune to magick and most

status conditions (Confuse being one of the notable exceptions). This makes

it especially useful in particular battles where the enemy relies heavily on

magick or status attacks. Plus, it has an inherent Defense Boost and Counter.



You can also use Construct 8 as a stepping-stool to help other characters

climb up to higher ledges. (Other large monsters have this ability as well.)

This is necessary to find the hidden items at Nelveska Temple, and can often

be handy in Midlight's Deep as well.



The downside to Construct 8 is that it's pretty slow and has a short move

range, so it's pretty rare that you'll actually have a chance to use its close

range attacks. It's of course also immune to any POSITIVE magick you might

want to cast on it, like buffs or Cure spells. Using the Tasks abilities also

consumes some of its HP, but it's not all that much, so this isn't much to

worry about.



The biggest concern is that since Construct 8 can't use equipment or change

abilities, it's hard to upgrade. (The best you can do is gain levels and raise

its Bravery.) This means that it's hard to remedy some of its weaknesses like

its short movement range, and that it eventually can't keep pace with the rest

of your team. In sum, Construct 8 proves to be quite useful when you first get

it and remains very helpful in particular story battles (against enemies using

magick or status attacks), but its usefulness may start to fade as other

characters gain more and more abilities that Construct 8 can never have.



---SKY PIRATE------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Balthier Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Knives, swords, knight's swords, Jump height : 4

bows, crossbows, guns, polearms Physical evade : 25%

Equippable armor: Shields, hats, helms, clothes, armor,

robes

Innate ability: Safeguard

Stats:

HP: *** MP: *** Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: *****



--Action Abilities: Piracy--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Leg Shot Weapon Any Y 200 Causes Immobilize status

Arm Shot * Weapon Any Y 300 Causes Disable status

Seal Evil * Weapon Any Y 200 Turns undead to Stone

Barrage Weapon Any Y 1200 Use weapon 4 times in a row at

1/2 damage per attack

Plunder Gil 1/1 1/- Foe - 10 Steal small amount of gil

Plunder Heart * 3/1 1/- Foe N 150 Inflicts Charm; only effective on

monsters and opposite sex

Plunder Helm * 1/1 1/- Foe - 350 Steal target's helmet

Plunder Armor * 1/1 1/- Foe - 450 Steal target's armor

Plunder Shield * 1/1 1/- Foe - 350 Steal target's shield

Plunder Weapon * 1/1 1/- Foe - 600 Steal target's weapon

Plunder Accessory 1/1 1/- Foe - 500 Steal target's accessory

Plunder EXP 1/1 1/- Foe - 250 Steal target's current EXP



The range of Leg Arm, Arm Shot, Seal Evil, and Barrage are equal to the range

of his current weapon.



Note that the Plunder abilities have a higher hit rate than the Thief's

Steal equivalents.



JP to master: 6350



--MY THOUGHTS--

Balthier is an all-around great character, and quite versatile. As you can see

from his available equipment, he can function both as a ranged fighter or a

close-range one. Essentially, he's a combination of Mustadio (he has all of

Mustadio's Aimed Shot abilities) and a Thief ... except that he's also

physically stronger, is more successful at stealing than a Thief, and has the

super speed of a Ninja. How can you go wrong with that? Once Balthier joins,

there's not all that much use for Mustadio since Balthier has all of Mustadio's

ability and then some!



Balthier's one completely unique ability, Barrage, is also quite useful. It's

similar to Dual Wield in the sense that is essentially doubles your attack

power, except that Barrage lets Balthier still equip a shield in his other

hand. Barrage also divides the damage across four attacks, so that if one or

two is missed or blocked, you can still connect with the others. (On the other

hand, if you land a critical hit and knock the enemy backwards, all the other

attacks will miss!) Since Barrage counts as a regular attack, it can also be

combined with Poach or Tame. In the right circumstances, Barrage can also be

used to attack multiple enemies in one turn -- see "Shoot Enemies Next to You"

under Various Tricks. Sadly, Dual Wield and Barrage CANNOT be combined; you

still only get 4 attacks even if Balthier has a weapon in both hands. No Genji

Glove + Offering this time around :(



---SWORD SAINT-----------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Orlandeau Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Swords, knight's swords, katanas, Jump height : 3

ninja blades Physical evade : 12%

Equippable armor: Shields, hats, helms, clothes, armor,

robes

Stats:

HP: ***** MP: ***** Phys. Atk.: ***** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ****



--Action Abilities: Swordplay--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Judgment Blade * 2/* 2/0 Any N 0 Physical attack, causes Stop

Cleansing Strike 3/2 1/- Any N 400 Physical attack, causes Doom

Northswain's Strike 3/1 1/- Any N 500 Physical attack, instant KO

Hallowed Bolt * 3/* 2/1 Any N 700 Physical attack, causes Silence

Divine Ruination * 4Dir 5/2 Any N 800 Physical attack, causes Confuse

Crush Armor 3/* 1/- Any N 200 Physical attack, destroys

target's armor

Crush Helm 3/* 1/- Any N 400 Physical attack, destroys

target's headgear

Crush Weapon * 3/* 1/- Any N 500 Physical attack, destroys

target's weapon

Crush Accessory 3/* 1/- Any N 800 Physical attack, destroys

target's accessory

Shadowblade * 3/* 1/- Any N 0 Absorbs HP from target

Duskblade * 3/* 1/- Any N 500 Absorbs MP from target



Swordplay techniques have a 100% hit rate. However, they cannot be used

unless Orlandeau is equipped with a sword, knight's sword, or fell sword.



Unlike in the PSone version, Crush abilities CAN target monsters and unequipped

humans, and in fact do extra damage against such targets! Crush Armor does the

most extra damage, and Crush Accessory the least. (They all do the same damage

when the relevant equipment slot is filled.) However, Crush abilities always

have a 0% hit rate against targets with Safeguard.



JP to master: 5850



--MY THOUGHTS--

There's probably not much I need to say here. The Thunder God himself is

overwhelmingly powerful -- he has all of Agrias's, Meliadoul's, and

Gaffgarion's sword techniques (all useful in their own right), he has

tremendous HP and attack power, and he comes with the Excalibur sword, which

gives a permanent Haste. His attacks do tremendous damage and he can take down

most enemy units with a sword technique. Shadowblade even lets him heal

himself in the process!



In other words, the only reason you *wouldn't* want Orlandeau on your team is

to challenge yourself by making the game harder. Otherwise, he's going to be

your strongest character -- to the point of being more than a little

unbalanced ;)



Particularly useful abilities are Hallowed Bolt and Divine Ruination for group

damage, Shadowblade for restoring Orlandeaus' HP, Crush Weapon for disabling an

enemy's offense, and Duskblade against enemy magick users. Duskblade steals so

much MP that you can often steal an enemy mage's entire magick gauge and render

them completely useless. This is a great tactic against magick-using enemies!

(You can also use it as a crippling the last enemy if you extend the battle for

any reason.) And, as with Agrias, giving him the Geomancer's Attack Boost will

make his sword techniques stronger.



---HOLY DRAGON-----------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Reis (before completing Nelveska Temple quest) Movement range : 5

Equippable weapons: none Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: none Physical evade : 5%

Stats:

HP: ***** MP: * Phys. Atk.: ***** Mag. Atk.: ***** Speed: ****



--Action Abilities: Breath--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Ice Breath * 2/2 1/- Any Y 0 Ice attack

Fire Breath * 2/2 1/- Any Y 0 Fire attack

Thunder Breath * 2/2 1/- Any Y 0 Lightning attack



These three Breath attacks can only target characters in a straight line from

Reis, not on a diagonal.



--Reaction Abilities--

none



--Support Abilities--

none



--Movement Abilities--

none



JP to master: 0



--MY THOUGHTS--

In her dragon form, Reis is limited to her three breath attacks. (And, being

a monster, she obviously can't change jobs.) She has a lot of HP, though, and

her movement range is actually much better than her human form's. Her magick

attack is also phenomenally high, which means that her breath attacks are

likely to do more damage now than as a human! However, her very limited set of

abilities and inability to use any kind of equipment or accessories means

you'll get more use out of her human form in the long run.



Note that if you fail to buy Aerith's flower at Sal Ghidos, you won't be able

to complete the quest to restore Reis to human form and she'll actually be

stuck in dragon form for the entirety of the game.



---DRAGONKIN-------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Reis (after Nelveska Temple quest) Movement range : 3

Equippable weapons: Bags Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Hair adornments Physical evade : 7%

Equippable accessories: Rings, armlets, perfume, and lip rouge only

Innate abilities: Beastmaster, Tame, Dual Wield

Stats:

HP: ***** MP: ***** Phys. Atk.: ***** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: *****



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Dragon--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Ice Breath * 2/2 1/- Any Y 0 Ice attack #

Fire Breath * 2/2 1/- Any Y 0 Fire attack #

Thunder Breath * 2/2 1/- Any Y 0 Lightning attack #

Dragon's Charm * 2/2 1/- Foe N 300 Dragon or hydra joins as guest,

and can be recruited after

battle (100% hit rate!)

Dragon's Gift 2/2 1/- Any N 300 Heals dragon or hydra and removes

Blind, Confuse, Silence, Oil,

Berserk, Toad, Poison, Stop,

Sleep, Immobilize, and Disable.

Consumes Reis's HP when used.

Dragon's Might 2/2 1/- Any N 400 Boosts dragon or hydra's Bravery,

speed, physical attack, and

magick attack

Dragon's Speed 2/2 1/- Any N 400 Fills dragon or hydra's CT gauge

to 100 (instant turn!)

Holy Breath 4/* 3/3 Any N 900 Holy attack, strikes random tiles

within radius



# The initial three Breath attacks can only target characters in a straight

line from Reis, not on a diagonal.



JP to master: 2350



--MY THOUGHTS--

Although Reis's abilities don't seem too exciting at first glance, check out

her stats! Dragonkin is the fastest job in the game and Reis also has great

HP, MP, and physical attack power. She can also attack twice (as if she were

a Ninja) and her attack can Tame monsters. Note that bags can't be Dual-

Wielded (as is true for any character), but Reis's Dual Wield does work

with her fists or other weapons you give her using Equip ____ abilities.



Unfortunately, the job is weakened by her lack of equipment. Moreover,

although Reis's primary weapons is her fists, she does *not* have the Brawler

ability. So, to make her stronger, give her Brawler or an Equip ___ ability.



For a melee fighter, Reis's movement range of 3 is also rather poor, and she

also can't equip the accessories that would increase it. Move +1 or Move +2

will help, though. (Or, alternately, give her the Septie`me perfume or Tynar

Rouge; a permanent Haste will give her more turns, so it doesn't matter so much

if she can't move very far on each turn.)



As for her abilities, her three initial Breath attacks are nice, since they

supplement her fists with elemental attacks with a 2-tile range (and they're

automatically learned, so you don't have to spend any JP!). You can make them

stronger by raising Reis's Magick Attack (e.g. with accessories). Holy Breath

can be used as a range attack and does sizable damage, but since it strikes

random tiles, it's not very reliable unless you're fighting a large enemy

group.



The four "Dragon's _____" are only useful if you have dragons or hydras on your

squad. This gives them a somewhat use -- but the hydra family contains the

strongest monsters in the game, so they may be worth recruiting and adding to

your team! One trick is to use Dragon's Charm to recruit dragons/hydras just

to help you in one battle and also save you from fighting them; you don't have

to permanently add them to your party at the end of the battle if you don't

want to.



---DIVINE KNIGHT---------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Meliadoul Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Swords, knight's swords, crossbows, Jump height : 3

polearms Physical evade : 10%

Equippable armor: Shields, helms, clothes, armor, robes

Stats:

HP: **** MP: *** Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: ** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Unyielding Blade--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Crush Armor * 3/* 1/- Any N 200 Physical attack, destroys

target's armor

Crush Helm 3/* 1/- Any N 400 Physical attack, destroys

target's headgear

Crush Weapon * 3/* 1/- Any N 500 Physical attack, destroys

target's weapon

Crush Accessory 3/* 1/- Any N 800 Physical attack, destroys

target's accessory



Unyielding Blade techniques have a 100% hit rate. However, they cannot be used

unless Meliadoul is equipped with a sword, knight's sword, or fell sword.



Unlike in the PSone version, Crush abilities CAN target monsters and unequipped

humans, and in fact do extra damage against such targets! Crush Armor does the

most extra damage, and Crush Accessory the least. (They all do the same damage

when the relevant equipment slot is filled.) However, Crush abilities always

have a 0% hit rate against targets with Safeguard.



JP to master: 2950



--MY THOUGHTS--

Meliadoul's sword skills are quite useful, since they do good damage, never

miss, and can shatter enemy equipment. In the PSP version, they can even be

used against targets who don't have the relevant item equipped (e.g. Crush

Armor can still damage a target without armor), which means they also work on

monsters! They're all limited to hitting a single target, though. Of her

abilities, Crush Armor and Crush Weapon are probably the best -- Crush Weapon

can cripple an enemy's offense, and Crush Armor does the most damage to

monsters.



Unfortunately for Meliadoul, she doesn't join the team until *after* Orlandeau,

who has all her sword techniques and then some, as well as better stats! So,

what would otherwise be a good character may not find all that use on your

squad. Both Orlandeau and Agrias tend to have more useful swordskills. Still,

Meliadoul can make for a pretty good second-string fighter. You could also try

making her into a magick-using job since she starts with high Faith. She can

also equip polearms and crossbows, but giving her one of these weapons won't

allow her to use her sword techniques.



---SOLDIER---------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Cloud Movement range : 3

Equippable weapons: Swords Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, hair adornments, clothes Physical evade : 20%

Stats:

HP: **** MP: ***** Phys. Atk.: **** Mag. Atk.: *** Speed: ***



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Limit--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Brave Slash 34 2/* 1/- Any N 150 Non-elemental magick attack

Cross Slash * 25 2/* 2/2 Any N 200 Non-elemental magick attack

Blade Beam * 20 2/* 1/- Any N 250 Damage = (Cloud's max HP minus

current HP)

Climhazzard 15 2/* 1/- Any N 500 Damage = (TARGET'S max HP minus

current HP)

Meteorain 10 3/* 3/0 Any N 600 Non-elemental magick attack

Finishing Touch * 20 3/* 2/0 Any N 700 Causes KO, Stone, Stop

Omnislash 7 3/* 3/0 Any N 1200 Non-elemental magick attack

Cherry Blossom 5 3/* 3/0 Any N 2500 Non-elemental magick attack



Limit techniques cannot be used unless Cloud is equipped with the Materia Blade

sword. Note that the damage from Limit attacks is determined by Cloud's MAGICK

Attack stat, NOT his Physical Attack (unlike Agrias, Meliadoul, and

Orlandeau's sword techniques).



JP to master: 7150



--MY THOUGHTS--

For being a hidden character, Cloud could be better. His Limit abilities take

a very long time to charge, and they can only target panels (not units), so the

enemy will just move away while he's charging. Give him the Time Mage's

Swiftness ability to make up for this. Even with that, Cloud is a little pokey

-- he only has a movement range of 3, so you may also want to give him Germinas

Boots or Move +1/Move +2 to boost his movement. Finishing Touch is very

powerful, though; it petrifies or KOs enemies, and can hit a whole group.



Cloud starts at level 1, which means that you'll have to spend a lot of time

bringing him up to snuff. However, as he gains levels, you'll find that his

stats turn out to be pretty good. He has good HP and a lot of MP, so you

could try making him into a magick-user. Equipping Cloud with gear to raise

his Magick Attack also makes his Limits stronger. Unfortunately, his physical

attack is only moderately strong at best, since he's stuck with the Materia

Blade if you want to use Limits. Personally, I still don't think he's worth

the trouble, but other people seem to like him.



---ARK KNIGHT------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Zalbaag Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Swords, knight's swords Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Shields, helms, armor, robes Physical evade : 10%



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Blade of Ruin--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Magicksap 20 34 4/* 2/0 Any ? 0 Lowers target's MP

Speedsap 20 34 4/* 2/0 Any ? 0 Lowers target's speed

Powersap 20 34 4/* 2/0 Any ? 0 Lowers target's physical attack

strength

Mindsap 20 34 4/* 2/0 Any ? 0 Lowers target's magick attack

strength



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Counter Phys. Attack Yes 300 Counter-attack with physical attack

Counter Tackle Phys. attack Yes 180 Counterattack using Rush



--Support Abilities--

JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Concentration 400 Prevents enemies from evading your

physical attacks

Safeguard 250 Equipment can't be broken or stolen



Swiftness 1000 Speeds spell/ability charge time



--Movement Abilities--

JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Move +1 200 Movement range + 1



JP to master: 2130



--MY THOUGHTS--

Zalbaag doesn't really do much. He's only in one half of one battle that you

may win in one or two rounds. He has a nice set of abilities, but you'll never

see them in action.



---BYBLOS----------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: the Byblos (name varies) Movement range : 3

Equippable weapons: none Jump height : 6

Equippable armor: none Physical evade : 33%

Innate abilities: Counter (100%), Poach, Ignore Elevation, can't enter water



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Byblos--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Energize 4/* 1/- Any N 0 Restores HP, the Byblos loses HP

equal to 1/2 of amount healed

Parasite 4/* 1/- Any N 0 Causes Stone, Blind, Confuse,

Silence, Oil, Toad, Poison,

and/or Sleep

Vengeance 5/3 1/- Any N 0 Damage = (Byblos's max HP minus

current HP)

Manaburn 5/3 1/- Any N 0 Deals damage equal to target's

current MP



--Reaction Abilities--

TRIGGER BRV JP EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------

Counter Automatically eqppd. Yes 0 Counter-attack with physical attack



--Support Abilities--

none



--Movement Abilities--

none



JP to master: 0



--MY THOUGHTS--

The Byblos doesn't join you until you've reached the last battle of the bonus

dungeon, which limits its usefulness. By the time it's joined your team,

you've already completed pretty much the whole single-player game!



What can it do, though? Like Construct 8, it's a special "monster" and can't

change jobs or use equipment. So, the Byblos is limited to its four abilities.

While none of these are *bad*, they still give only the Byblos a very limited

set of abilities ... and the Byblos doesn't share Construct 8's immunity to

magick. The Byblos does have an innate Poach, although the addition of Luso

(who also has an innate Poach) to the PSP version makes this somewhat less

exciting. It's also reasonably mobile thanks to its innate Ignore Elevation.



%%%JOB STATISTICS COMPARISON%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00jobstat



A character's current stats differ based on which job he or she is using -- for

example, Black Mage has high MP, while Samurai has high attack power. This

chart is just a quick comparison of the stats of each job, rated on a scale of

1 (worst) to 5 (best).



Note that job-specific evade rates (C-Ev) are only effective against attacks

from the front; for more information on evade rates, see Evasion Rates under

Various Tricks.



---Normal Jobs-----------------------------------------------------------------

HP MP Phys.Atk Mag.Atk Speed Move Jump Evade

Squire *** *** *** ** *** 4 3 5%

Chemist *** *** ** ** *** 3 3 5%

Knight **** *** **** ** *** 4 3 10%

Archer *** ** **** ** *** 3 3 10%

Monk ***** *** ***** ** **** 3 4 20%

White Mage ** ***** *** *** **** 3 3 5%

Black Mage ** ***** ** ***** *** 3 3 5%

Time Mage ** ***** * **** *** 3 3 5%

Summoner ** ***** * **** *** 3 3 5%

Thief *** * **** * **** 4 4 25%

Orator *** *** *** ** *** 3 3 5%

Mystic ** **** * **** *** 3 3 5%

Geomancer *** **** **** *** *** 4 3 10%

Dragoon **** * **** * *** 3 4 10%

Samurai ** **** ***** *** *** 3 3 20%

Ninja * * **** ** ***** 4 4 30%

Arithmetician * *** * * * 3 3 5%

Bard * * * **** *** 3 3 5%

Dancer * * **** *** *** 3 3 5%

Mime ***** * ***** **** ***** 4 4 5%

Dark Knight *** **** ***** ** *** 3 3 0%

Onion Knight * * * * *** 3 3 5%

Onion Knight# ***** ***** ***** **** ***** 3 3 30%



# Upon mastering 16 other jobs, Onion Knight advances to job level 8 and its

stats increase substantially.



---Special Jobs----------------------------------------------------------------

These jobs are only available to particular story characters.



HP MP Phys.Atk Mag.Atk Speed Move Jump Evade

Squire [Ramza]**** **** **** *** *** 4 3 10%

Holy Knight ***** **** *** *** *** 3 3 25%

Machinist *** *** *** **** **** 4 3 18%

Game Hunter **** **** **** *** *** 4 3 10%

Skyseer *** **** *** *** **** 3 3 10%

Netherseer *** **** *** *** **** 4 3 8%

Templar **** ***** ***** *** **** 4 3 14%

Sky Pirate *** *** **** *** ***** 4 4 25%

Sword Saint ***** ***** ***** *** **** 4 3 12%

Holy Dragon ***** * ***** ***** **** 5 3 5%

Dragonkin ***** ***** ***** *** ***** 3 3 7%

Divine Knight **** *** **** ** *** 4 3 10%

Soldier **** ***** **** *** *** 3 3 20%



%%%MONSTERS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00mon



In addition to human characters, Final Fantasy Tactics also features a variety

of monsters. Monsters mostly appear in random battles, but also appear in a

few story battles.



---About Monsters--------------------------------------------------------------



---MONSTER TYPES---

Monsters are divided by Family and Rank. Each monster Family has three Ranks:

for instance, the chocobo family contains Chocobo (Rank I), Black Chocobo

(Rank II), and Red Chocobo (Rank III).



Within a Family, the monsters look the same but simply have different color

schemes. Each's monsters color scheme is listed in the table below. The color

scheme will help you quickly identify a monster. It can also be used to help

identify the monster inside an egg (see Previewing Monster Eggs under Various

Tricks)



---MONSTER ABILITIES---

Monsters cannot change jobs, but instead have a fixed set of 1-3 Action

Abilities. These are their only actions; they have no regular attack command.

Each monster also has one EXTRA ability. This abilitiy can only be used if an

ally with the Beastmaster support ability (Squire) is standing directly next to

the monster. (Reis's Dragonkin job also has an inherent Beastmaster).



All Action Abilities used by standard (non-boss) monsters have no charge time

and consume no MP.



*ALL* monsters have Counter as an innate Reaction Ability. Since this is true

of EVERY monster, I haven't listed it for each monster in the table, but be

aware of it!



Most monsters one or more innate Movement abilities (such as Ignore Elevation

or Levitate). These are listed in the tables.



Finally, many monsters also have various elemental affinities, such as

Absorbs: Fire (fire attacks actually heal the monster), Immune: Ice, etc.



---RECRUITING MONSTERS---

Monsters can be recruited into your party in five ways:



1. Use the Orator's Entice skill to recruit an enemy monster onto your team.

After the battle, you'll be able to permanently sign the monster up for your

team. Note that in order to use Entice (or any other Speechcraft skill) on

monsters, you must have the Beast Tongue support ability (also from Orator).

Beast Tongue is an innate ability for Orators and doesn't need to be learned or

equipped as long as you're an Orator, but if you switch to another job, you'll

have to equip Beast Tongue to Entice monsters. Reis's Dragon's Charm ability

also has the same effect and does not require Beast Tongue, but only works on

the dragon and hydra families.



2. With the Orator's Tame support ability equipped, attack a monster. If the

monster is in critical (low) HP after the attack, you can recruit the monster.

Reis's Dragonkin job has Tame as an innate ability.



3. Once you have recruited a monster onto your team, the monster will lay eggs

and produce other monsters in the same family. Eggs are laid and hatch as you

move around the world map. The Rank of the monster laying the egg determines

which kind of Ranks it can produce:



Produces... Rank I Rank II Rank III

-----------------------------------

Rank I Frequently Rarely Never

Rank II Frequently Rarely Rarely

Rank III Frequently Frequently Rarely



Note that Rank I monsters can never produce Rank III monsters directly.

However, you can use it to breed a Rank II monster, which can then go on to

produce a Rank III monster.



The level of a newborn monster is randomly determined and can be as high as

your highest-level character. So if you recruit a monster type you like but

the monster is at a low experience level, one strategy is to let it breed and

you may get a higher-level version of the same monster.



4. Rarely, you'll get into a random battle where a monster appears to fight as

a Guest on your team. Complete the battle and you'll be able to recruit the

Guest monster as a regular party member.



5. Finally, a Chocobo will be automatically offered to the party after winning

a Chapter II story battle.





And now, on with the monster list!



---Chocobo Family--------------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Single feather



The Chocobo family of monsters is unique in that human characters to ride them.

To ride one, move a character onto the same tile as a friendly chocobo (of any

color). The character will mount the chocobo and they'll move and act as a

single unit. Essentially, this allows you to combine the movement range and

skills of a Chocobo with the action abilities of a human.



CHOCOBO

Family: Chocobo Rank : I Color scheme : Bright yellow

Move : 6 Jump : 5 Physical evade : 15%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES: Swim

ELEMENTAL ABILITIES: none

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Choco Beak 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Choco Cure Self 2/2 Any - Restores HP

(Choco Esuna) Self 2/2 Any - Cures Stone, Blind, Silence, Poison, Stop,

Immobilize, Disable



BLACK CHOCOBO

Family: Chocobo Rank : II Color scheme : Black/dark purple

Move : 6 Jump : 5 Physical evade : 25%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES: Fly, Swim

ELEMENTAL ABILITIES: none

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Choco Beak 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Choco Pellets 4/* 1/- Any N Physical attack

Choco Esuna Self 2/2 Any - Cures Stone, Blind, Silence, Poison, Stop,

Immobilize, Disable

(Choco Meteor) 5/* 1/- Any N Non-elemental magick attack



RED CHOCOBO

Family: Chocobo Rank : I Color scheme : Bright red

Move : 6 Jump : 5 Physical evade : 10%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES: Ignore Elevation, Swim

ELEMENTAL ABILITIES: none

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Choco Beak 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Choco Pellets 4/* 1/- Any N Physical attack

Choco Meteor 5/* 1/- Any N Non-elemental magick attack

(Choco Cure) Self 2/2 Any - Restores HP



---Goblin Family---------------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Goblin lying face-down on ground



GOBLIN

Family: Goblin Rank : I Color scheme : Red and gray

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 18%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES: none

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Weak to Ice

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tackle 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Eye Gouge 1/2 1/- Any - Inflicts Blind status

(Goblin Punch) 1/1 1/- Any - Physical attack



BLACK GOBLIN

Family: Goblin Rank : II Color scheme : Black and gray

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 19%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES: none

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Weak to Ice

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tackle 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Spin Punch Self 2/1 Any - Physical attack

(Goblin Punch) 1/1 1/- Any - Physical attack



GOBBLEDYGOOK

Family: Goblin Rank : III Color scheme : Brown skin, green clothes

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 20% with purple trim

MOVEMENT ABILITIES: none

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Weak to Ice

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tackle 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Eye Gouge 1/2 1/- Any - Inflicts Blind status

Goblin Punch 1/1 1/- Any - Physical attack

(Bloodfeast) 1/0 1/- Any - Drains HP from target to user



---Panther Family--------------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Skull



RED PANTHER

Family: Panther Rank : I Color scheme : Tan

Move : 4 Jump : 4 Physical evade : 23%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES: Ignore Elevation, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Weak to Earth

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Claw 1/3 1/- Any - Physical attack

Venom Fang 1/2 1/- Any - Inflicts Poison status

(Cat Scratch) 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack



COEURL

Family: Panther Rank : II Color scheme : Blue-gray

Move : 4 Jump : 4 Physical evade : 26%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES: Ignore Elevation, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Weak to Earth

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Claw 1/3 1/- Any - Physical attack

Cat Scratch 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Venom Fang 1/2 1/- Any - Inflicts Poison status

(Blaster) 3/* 1/- Any Y Inflicts Stone or Stop status



VAMPIRE CAT

Family: Panther Rank : III Color scheme : Purple

Move : 4 Jump : 4 Physical evade : 24%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES: Ignore Elevation, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Weak to Earth

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Claw 1/3 1/- Any - Physical attack

Cat Scratch 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Blaster 3/* 1/- Any Y Inflicts Stone or Stop status

(Vampire) 1/0 1/- Any - Drains HP from target to user;

inflicts Vampire status on target



---Bomb Family-----------------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Floating flame



BOMB

Family: Bomb Rank : I Color scheme : Red

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 10%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Float, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Fire, Halves Ice, Weak to Water

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Bite 1/2 1/- Any - Non-elemental attack

Self-Destruct Self 3/3 Any N KOs user & damages nearby units, inflicts

Oil status

(Bomblet) 1/0 1/- Any - Non-elemental attack



GRENADE

Family: Bomb Rank : II Color scheme : Light blue

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 11%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Float, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Fire, Halves Ice, Weak to Water

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Bite 1/2 1/- Any - Non-elemental attack

Bomblet 1/0 1/- Any - Non-elemental attack

Self-Destruct Self 3/3 Any N KOs user & damages nearby units, inflicts

Oil status

(Flame Attack) 3/* 1/- Any N Fire attack



EXPLODER

Family: Bomb Rank : III Color scheme : Gray

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 12%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Float, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Fire, Halves Ice, Weak to Water

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Bite 1/2 1/- Any - Non-elemental attack

Self-Destruct Self 3/3 Any N KOs user & damages nearby units, inflicts

Oil status

Spark Self 3/1 Any N Fire attack (will also heal user since

bombs absorb fire)

(Bomblet) 1/0 1/- Any - Non-elemental attack



---Skeleton Family-------------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Cape and pile of bones



SKELETON

Family: Skeleton Rank : I Color scheme : Gray with blue cloak

Move : 3 Jump : 4 Physical evade : 11%

Is Undead.

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : none

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Darkness, Weak to Fire and Holy

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Chop 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Thunder Anima 3/* 1/- Any Y Lightning magick attack

(Water Anima) 3/1 1/- Any Y Water magick attack



BONESNATCH

Family: Skeleton Rank : II Color scheme : Gray with green cloak

Move : 3 Jump : 4 Physical evade : 12%

Is Undead.

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : none

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Darkness, Weak to Fire and Holy

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Chop 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Water Anima 3/* 1/- Any Y Water magick attack

(Ice Anima) 3/* 1/- Any Y Ice magick attack



SKELETAL FIEND

Family: Skeleton Rank : III Color scheme : Gray with red cloak

Move : 3 Jump : 4 Physical evade : 13%

Is Undead.

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : none

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Darkness, Weak to Fire and Holy

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Chop 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Ice Anima 3/* 1/- Any Y Ice magick attack

(Wind Anima) 3/* 1/- Any Y Wind magick attack



---Minotaur Family-------------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Horned skull



WISENKIN

Family: Minotaur Rank : I Color scheme : Dark green with gray head

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 11%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Weak to Water

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Pickaxe 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

(Feral Spin) Self 2/1 Any - Physical attack



MINOTAUR

Family: Minotaur Rank : II Color scheme : Red with gray head

Move : 4 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 15%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Weak to Water

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Pickaxe 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Feral Spin Self 2/1 Any - Physical attack

(Breathe Fire) 2/* 1/- Any Y Fire attack, targets in 4 directions only



SEKHRET

Family: Minotaur Rank : III Color scheme : Purple

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 12%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Weak to Water

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Pickaxe 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Earthsplitter Self 3/1 Ally N Earth attack

Beef Up Self 1/- Any - Raises user's Physical Attack by 2

(Breathe Fire) 2/* 1/- Any Y Fire attack, targets in 4 directions only



---Ghost Family----------------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Floating cloak



GHOUL

Family: Ghost Rank : I Color scheme : Purple body, yellow shirt

Move : 4 Jump : 4 Physical evade : 26%

Is Undead.

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Teleport, Levitate, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Darkness, Weak to Fire and Holy

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Ectoplasm 3/* 1/- Any Y Non-elemental attack

Sleep Touch 1/2 1/- Any - Inflicts Sleep status

(Oily Touch) 1/2 1/- Any - Inflicts Oil status



GHAST

Family: Ghost Rank : II Color scheme : Gray body, red shirt

Move : 4 Jump : 4 Physical evade : 27%

Is Undead.

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Teleport, Levitate, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Darkness, Weak to Fire and Holy

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Ectoplasm 3/* 1/- Any Y Non-elemental attack

Oily Touch 1/2 1/- Any - Inflicts Oil status

(Drain Touch) 1/2 1/- Any - Drains target's HP



REVENANT

Family: Ghost Rank : III Color scheme : Tan body, green shirt

Move : 5 Jump : 4 Physical evade : 28%

Is Undead.

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Teleport, Levitate, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Darkness, Weak to Fire and Holy

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Ectoplasm 3/* 1/- Any Y Non-elemental attack

Drain Touch 1/2 1/- Any - Drains target's HP

(Zombie Touch) 1/2 1/- Any - Inflicts Undead status



---Mindflayer Family-----------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Mindflayer lying face-down on ground



PISCODAEMON

Family: Mindflayer Rank : I Color scheme : Tan with brown cloak

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 8%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Waterbreathing

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Water, Weak to Lightning

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tentacles 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

(Ink) 2/* 1/- Any Y Inflicts Blind; targets in 4 cardinal

directions only



SQUIDRAKEN

Family: Mindflayer Rank : II Color scheme : Purple with green cloak

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 9%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Waterbreathing

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Water, Weak to Lightning

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tentacles 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Ink 2/* 1/- Any Y Inflicts Blind; targets in 4 cardinal

directions only

Dischord Self 3/1 Any N Removes Float, Reraise, Invisible, Regen,

Protect, Shell, Haste, Faith, and

Reflect

(Mind Blast) 3/* 2/1 Any N Inflicts Confuse or Berserk



MINDFLAYER

Family: Mindflayer Rank : III Color scheme : Pale green with red cloak

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 10%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Waterbreathing

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Water, Weak to Lightning

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tentacles 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Ink 2/* 1/- Any Y Inflicts Blind; targets in 4 cardinal

directions only

Mind Blast 3/* 2/1 Any N Inflicts Confuse or Berserk

(Level Drain) 4/* 1/- Any N Lowers target's experience level by 1



---Ahriman Family--------------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Wing



FLOATING EYE

Family: Ahriman Rank : I Color scheme : Green with orange wings

Move : 5 Jump : 5 Physical evade : 12%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Fly, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Halves Wind, Weak to Ice

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Wing Buffet 1/2 1/- Any - Non-elemental attack

(Dread Gaze) 3/* 1/- Any Y Lowers target's Bravery by 10



AHRIMAN

Family: Ahriman Rank : II Color scheme : Yellow with purple wings

Move : 5 Jump : 5 Physical evade : 13%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Fly, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Halves Wind, Weak to Ice

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Wing Buffet 1/2 1/- Any - Non-elemental attack

Bewitching Gaze 3/* 1/- Any Y Inflicts Stone, Blind, Silence,

Immobilize, or Disable status

Dread Gaze 3/* 1/- Any Y Lowers target's Bravery by 10

(Doom) 3/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Doom status



PLAGUE HORROR

Family: Ahriman Rank : III Color scheme : Red with black wings

Move : 5 Jump : 5 Physical evade : 11%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Fly, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Halves Wind, Weak to Ice

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Wing Buffet 1/2 1/- Any - Non-elemental attack

Bewitching Gaze 3/* 1/- Any Y Inflicts Stone, Blind, Silence,

Immobilize, or Disable status

Doom 3/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Doom status

(Beam) 4/* 1/- Any N Lowers target's Magick Attack by 2



---Aevis Family----------------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Two feathers



JURA AEVIS

Family: Aevis Rank : I Color scheme : Blue with white plumage

Move : 6 Jump : 6 Physical evade : 30%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Fly, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Halves Wind, Weak to Earth

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Talon Dive 1/2 1/- Any - Non-elemental attack

(Featherbomb) 3/* 1/- Any N Non-elemental attack



STEELHAWK

Family: Aevis Rank : II Color scheme : Gray with yellow plumage

Move : 6 Jump : 6 Physical evade : 28%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Fly, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Halves Wind, Weak to Earth

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Talon Dive 1/2 1/- Any - Non-elemental attack

Glitterlust 1/1 1/- Any - Steals gil

(Beak) 1/0 1/- Any - Inflicts Stone status



COCKATRICE

Family: Aevis Rank : III Color scheme : Black with red plumage

Move : 6 Jump : 6 Physical evade : 33%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Fly, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Halves Wind, Weak to Earth

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Talon Dive 1/2 1/- Any - Non-elemental attack

Beak 1/0 1/- Any - Inflicts Stone status

Featherbomb 3/* 1/- Any N Non-elemental attack

(Peck) 1/1 1/- Any - Lowers target's Physical Attack strength

by 2



---Treant Family---------------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Tree branch



DRYAD

Family: Treant Rank : I Color scheme : Light brown w/ green hair

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 0%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Earth, Weak to Fire

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Leaf Rain Self 2/0 Any - Non-elemental attack

(Guardian Nymph) Self 2/0 Any - Gives Protect status, 100% hit rate



TREANT

Family: Treant Rank : II Color scheme : Gray with red hair

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 0%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Earth, Weak to Fire

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Leaf Rain Self 2/0 Any - Non-elemental attack

Life Nymph Self 2/0 Any - Restores HP

(Shell Nymph) Self 2/0 Any - Gives Shell status, 100% hit rate



ELDER TREANT

Family: Treant Rank : III Color scheme : Silver with gold hair

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 0%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Earth, Weak to Fire

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Leaf Rain Self 2/0 Any - Non-elemental attack

Guardian Nymph Self 2/0 Any - Gives Protect status, 100% hit rate

Shell Nymph Self 2/0 Any - Gives Shell status, 100% hit rate

(Magick Nymph) Self 2/0 Any - Restores MP



---Malboro Family--------------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Two tentacles in puddle of water



OCHU

Family: Malboro Rank : I Color scheme : Gray-green / tan

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 0%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Waterwalking

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Weak to Ice

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tentacles 1/1 1/- Any - Physical attack

Goo 1/1 1/- Any - Inflicts Immobilize status

(Lick) 1/0 1/- Any - Gives Reflect status



MALBORO

Family: Malboro Rank : II Color scheme : Bright light green

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 0%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Waterwalking

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Weak to Ice

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tentacles 1/1 1/- Any - Physical attack

Lick 1/0 1/- Any - Gives Reflect status

(Bad Breath) Self 3/0 Any - Inflicts Stone, Blind, Confuse, Silence,

Oil, Toad, Poison, and/or Sleep



GREATER MALBORO

Family: Malboro Rank : III Color scheme : Dark gray

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 0%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Waterwalking

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Weak to Ice

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tentacles 1/1 1/- Any - Physical attack

Bad Breath Self 3/0 Any - Inflicts Stone, Blind, Confuse, Silence,

Oil, Toad, Poison, and/or Sleep

(Malboro Spores) 1/0 1/- Any - Turns target into Malboro (permanently!)



---Behemoth Family-------------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Spiny tail



BEHEMOTH

Family: Behemoth Rank : I Color scheme : Purple with yellow hair

Move : 4 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 13%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: none

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Gore 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Heave 1/0 1/- Any - Physical attack, instant KO

(Gigaflare) 4/* 3/0 Any N Non-elemental attack



BEHEMOTH KING

Family: Behemoth Rank : II Color scheme : Gold with green hair

Move : 4 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 13%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: none

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Gore 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Heave 1/0 1/- Any - Physical attack, instant KO

(Twister) 4/* 3/2 Any N Wind attack



DARK BEHEMOTH

Family: Behemoth Rank : III Color scheme : Black with orange hair

Move : 4 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 18%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: none

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Gore 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Heave 1/0 1/- Any - Physical attack, instant KO

(Almagest) 4/* 3/1 Any N Does damage equal to (Dark Behemoth's

max HP - current HP)



---Dragon Family---------------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Large wing



DRAGON

Family: Dragon Rank : I Color scheme : Light green

Move : 5 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 5%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: none

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Charge 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

(Tail Sweep) 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack



BLUE DRAGON

Family: Dragon Rank : II Color scheme : Light blue

Move : 5 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 9%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Ice, Weak to Fire

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Charge 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Ice Breath 2/2 1/- Any Y Ice attack

(Thunder Breath) 2/2 1/- Any Y Lightning attack



RED DRAGON

Family: Dragon Rank : III Color scheme : Brick red

Move : 5 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 8%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Absorbs Fire, Weak to Ice

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Charge 1/2 1/- Any - Physical attack

Thunder Breath 2/2 1/- Any Y Lightning attack

(Fire Breath) 2/2 1/- Any Y Fire attack



---Hydra Family----------------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Three-headed skull



HYDRA

Family: Hydra Rank : III Color scheme : Gold

Move : 4 Jump : 4 Physical evade : 0%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Fly, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Weak to Ice and Wind

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tri-Attack 1/? 1/- Any - Physical attack, attacks on front and to

both sides simultaneously

(Tri-Breath) 2/* 2/* Any N Non-elemental attack, attacks on front and

to both sides simultaneously



GREATER HYDRA

Family: Hydra Rank : III Color scheme : Dark purple / black

Move : 4 Jump : 4 Physical evade : 0%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Fly, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Weak to Ice and Wind

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tri-Attack 1/? 1/- Any - Physical attack, attacks on front and to

both sides simultaneously

Tri-Flame 4/* 2/0 Any N Fire attack; strikes 3 times on random

tile(s) within effect radius

(Tri-Thunder) 4/* 2/0 Any N Lightning attack; strikes 3 times on

random tile(s) within effect radius



TIAMAT

Family: Hydra Rank : III Color scheme : Off-white

Move : 4 Jump : 4 Physical evade : 0%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Fly, can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: Weak to Ice and Wind

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tri-Breath 2/* 2/* Any N Non-elemental attack, attacks on front and

to both sides simultaneously

Tri-Thunder 4/* 2/0 Any N Lightning attack; strikes 3 times on

random tile(s) within effect radius

Tri-Flame 4/* 2/0 Any N Fire attack; strikes 3 times on random

tile(s) within effect radius

(Dark Whisper) 4/* 2/0 Any N Dark attack; strikes 3 times within effect

radius; can inflict KO or Sleep



---Pig Family------------------------------------------------------------------

When KOed, looks like: Pig lying face-down on ground



PIG

Family: Pig Rank : I Color scheme : Light yellow, red ears

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 42%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: none

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Reckless Charge 1/0 1/- Any - Physical attack

(Squeak) 1/1 1/- Any - Revives KOed character with full HP



SWINE

Family: Pig Rank : II Color scheme : Light pink, magenta ears

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 36%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: none

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Reckless Charge 1/0 1/- Any - Physical attack

Toot 1/1 1/- Any - Inflicts Confuse or Sleep

(Snort) 1/1 1/- Foe - Inflicts Charm status; only effective on

human targets



WILD BOAR

Family: Pig Rank : III Color scheme : Silver with magenta ears

Move : 3 Jump : 3 Physical evade : 39%

MOVEMENT ABILITIES : Can't enter water

ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES: none

ACTION ABILITIES: H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

------------------------------------------------------------------

Reckless Charge 1/0 1/- Any - Physical attack

Snort 1/1 1/- Foe - Inflicts Charm status; only effective on

human targets

(Bequeath Bacon) 1/1 1/- Any - Target's level up 1, user becomes crystal



%%%ENEMY-ONLY JOBS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00job3



Most enemies you'll encounter in the game have either generic jobs, or the same

special jobs as the story characters that join your party. However, a few

enemies have unique jobs that are not available to you, the player. This

section lists those jobs and their abilities.



There are also a few more monster-like units that appear in the enemy forces

and cannot be recruited to your team; you'll find those listed here as well.



Of course, since these are enemy-only jobs, there is NO way to obtain any of

these jobs or characters for your own team. This section is just to show you

what you're up against.



---WHITE KNIGHT----------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Wiegraf Movement range : 3

Equippable weapons: Swords, knight's swords Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Shields, helms, armor, robes Physical evade : 10%



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Holy Sword--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Judgment Blade 2/* 2/0 Any N Physical attack, causes Stop

Cleansing Strike 3/2 1/- Any N Physical attack, causes Doom

Northswain's Strike 3/1 1/- Any N Physical attack, instant KO

Hallowed Bolt * 3/* 2/1 Any N Physical attack, causes Silence



* Used in Chapter III only.



Holy Sword techniques have a 100% hit rate. However, they cannot be used

unless Wiegraf is equipped with a sword, knight's sword, or fell sword.



--Action Abilities: Martial Arts#--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Aurablast # 3/3 1/- Any Y Non-elemental physical attack

Shockwave # 4Dir 8/2 Any N Earth-elemental physical attack



# Used in Riovanes Castle only.



--DESCRIPTION--

Wiegraf's White Knight job features a subset of Holy Knight sword techniques,

making him the first character in the job who can use sword techniques. In

your final battle with him, he also uses a pair of standard Monk abilities.



---THE IMPURE------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Cuchulainn Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: None Jump height : 4

Equippable armor: None Physical evade : 12%

Innate ability: Can't enter water



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Dread--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Nightmare 5/* 2/0 Any N Inflicts Sleep or Doom (100% hit rate)

Fowlheart 5/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Disable (100% hit rate)

Ague 5/* 2/0 Any N Inflicts Slow (100% hit rate)



--Action Abilities: Befoul--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Bio 8 R 34 4/* 2/2 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Blind

Bio 8 R 34 4/* 2/2 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Poison

Bio 8 R 34 4/* 2/2 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Oil

Biora 16R 20 4/* 2/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Toad

Biora 16R 20 4/* 2/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Slow

Biora 16R 20 4/* 2/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Silence

Biora 16R 20 4/* 2/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Stone

Bioga 24R 17 4/* 3/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Undead

Bioga 24R 17 4/* 3/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts instant KO

Bioga 24R 17 4/* 3/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Stone



--DESCRIPTION--

Cuchulainn's magick repertoire consists primarily of Nightmare, which inflicts

Sleep or Doom, and Bio magick. (Fowlheart and Ague are rarely--if ever!--

used.) Note that are multiple magicks called Bio, Biora, and Bioga; each

version inflicts a different status ailment. Since each vesion can inflict

only a single status ailment, a single cast of Bio will target each character

it hits with the SAME status ailment.



---CELEBRANT-------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Zalmour, Bremondt Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Rods, staves, books, poles Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes, robes Physical evade : 9%



--Action Abilities: Priest Magicks--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Curaga 16RA 15 4/* 2/2 Any N Restores HP (even more than Cura)

Cura 10RA 20 4/* 2/1 Any N Restores HP (more than Cure)

Confuse 14 4/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Confuse status

Sleep 20 4/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Sleep status

Drain 12 4/* 1/- Any N Absorbs HP from target

Silence 16 4/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Silence status

Disable 14 4/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Disable status

Arise 20RA 10 4/* 1/- Any N Revives KOed character with full HP

Esuna 18RA 34 3/* 2/2 Any N Cures Stone, Blind, Confuse, Silence,

Berserk, Toad, Poison, Sleep,

Immobilize, and/or Disable



--DESCRIPTION--

The Celebrant combines high-level White Magicks with some status magick derived

from the Templar's sword techniques. (Note that Bremondt only seems to want

to cast Arise.)



---NIGHTBLADE------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Izlude Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Ninja blades, swords, Jump height : 4

knight's swords, polearms Physical evade : 10%

Equippable armor: Shields, helms, armor, robes

Innate Ability: Concentration



--Action Abilities: Arts of War--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Rend Helm Weapon Any Y Destroys target's headgear

Rend Armor Weapon Any Y Destroys target's armor

Rend Shield Weapon Any Y Destroys target's shield

Rend Weapon Weapon Any Y Destroys target's weapon

Rend MP Weapon Any Y Lowers target's MP

Rend Speed Weapon Any Y Lowers target's speed

Rend Power Weapon Any Y Lowers target's physical attack

Rend Magick Weapon Any Y Lowers target's magick attack



--DESCRIPTION--

Izlude's Nightblade job is very similar to a Knight, with the bonus of an

inherent Concentration ability that prevents any of his physical attacks from

missing. He is also equipped with a maxed-out Jump as his secondary action

ability when he appears in the game.



---GIGAS-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Belias Movement range : 5

Equippable weapons: None Jump height : 5

Equippable armor: None Physical evade : 18%

Innate ability: Can't enter water



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Dread--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Aphony 5/* 2/0 Any N Inflicts Silence (100% hit rate)

Petrify 5/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Stone (100% hit rate)

Befuddle 5/* 2/0 Any N Inflicts Confuse (100% hit rate)



--Action Abilities: Summon Gigas--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Titan 30 10 4/* 3/2 Foe N "Gaia's Wrath": Earth magick attack

Lich 40 10 4/* 3/2 Foe N "Descending Darkness": Dark attack;

does damage equal to 1/2 of

target's maximum HP but may miss

Cyclops 62 9 4/* 3/2 Foe N "Climactic Fear": Non-elemental attack



--DESCRIPTION--

Belias's main mode of attack, of course, is his mighty summon magicks. He also

possess a few status attack spells as a backup; if he's Silenced and can't use

his summons, he can use Petrify instead.



---ARCHAEODAEMON---------------------------------------------------------------

Enemy monster. Movement range : 4

Innate abilities: Counter, Swiftness, Jump height : 3

can't enter water Physical evade : 5%



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Dark Arts--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Karma 50? 4/* 1/- Any N Does damage equal to (Archaeodaemon's

max HP - current HP)

Unholy Darkness 40 15? 4/* 1/- Any N Dark magick attack

Gigaflare 4/* 3/0 Any N Non-elemental magick attack



--DESCRIPTION--

The Archaeodaemon is a monster-type enemy with a few different magick attacks.



---ASSASSIN--------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Celia, Lettie Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Katanas (Celia), ninja blades (Let.) Jump height : 7

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes Physical evade : #

Innate ability: Dual Wield



# Celia has an evade rate of 30%; Lettie has an evade rate of 28%



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Subdual Arts--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Petrify 6/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Stone (100% hit rate)

Shadowbind 4/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Stop (100% hit rate)

Suffocate 1/0 1/- Any N Inflicts KO (100% hit rate)

Ultima 10 20 4/* 2/1 Any N Non-elemental magick attack

Allure 3/* 1/- Foe N Inflicts Charm (100% hit rate), male

and monster targets only



--DESCRIPTION--

Celia and Lettie are fast and use a variety of status attack abilities, all of

which have a 100% hit rate. They also cast Ultima, which Ramza and Luso can

learn if they are hit with the magick as a Squire or Game Hunter.



---ARK KNIGHT [ELMDORE]--------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Elmdore Movement range : 3

Equippable weapons: Katanas Jump height : 5

Equippable armor: Shields, hats, helms, clothes, armor, Physical evade : 16%

robes

Innate ability: Safeguard



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Sword Spirit--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Ashura Self 3/3 Foe N "Spirit Blade": Non-elemental magick

attack

Kotetsu Self 3/3 Foe N "Binding Darkness": Non-elemental

magick attack

Osafune Self 3/3 Foe N "Verse of Oblivion": Lowers enemy MP

Muramasa Self 3/3 Foe N "Doomed Aspirations": Non-elemental

magick attack, inflicts Confuse

and Doom



--Action Abilities: Vampire #--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Vampire # 1/0 1/- Any - Drain HP from target to user and

inflicts Vampire status; if target

is already a Vampire, causes user to

become a Vampire instead



# Only used in Chapter IV.



--Movement Abilities--

EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------

Master Teleportation Teleport to any tile when moving,

regardless of move range or obstacles

in the way. Unlike regular Teleport,

never fails!



--DESCRIPTION--

Elmdore's Ark Knight is almost completely different from Zalbaag's and is

similar mostly in name. Elmdore's version of the job is based on the Samurai;

he fights with katanas and can use a few Iaido abilities. He also has a novel

movement ability: Master Teleportation, which lets him warp anywhere on the

battlefield. Sadly, he also has an innate Safeguard that prevents you from

stealing his Genji gear. In Chapter IV, he gains the Vampire ability, but

seems not to use it.



---REAVER----------------------------------------------------------------------

Enemy monster. Movement range : 4

Innate abilities: Counter, Swiftness, Jump height : 3

Ignore Elevation, can't enter water Physical evade : 10%



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Bio--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Bio 8 R 34 4/* 2/2 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Blind

Bio 8 R 34 4/* 2/2 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Poison

Bio 8 R 34 4/* 2/2 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Oil

Biora 16R 20 4/* 2/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Toad

Biora 16R 20 4/* 2/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Slow

Biora 16R 20 4/* 2/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Silence

Biora 16R 20 4/* 2/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Stone

Bioga 24R 17 4/* 3/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Undead

Bioga 24R 17 4/* 3/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts instant KO

Bioga 24R 17 4/* 3/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack,

inflicts Stone



--DESCRIPTION--

The Reaver is an enemy monster seen in two battles. It uses Bio magick. As

with Cuchulainn, note that are multiple magicks called Bio, Biora, and Bioga;

each version inflicts a different status ailment. Since each vesion can

inflict only a single status ailment, a single cast of Bio will target each

character it hits with the SAME status ailment.



---ULTIMA DEMON----------------------------------------------------------------

Enemy monster. Movement range : 5

Innate Abilities: Counter, Swiftness, Brawler, Jump height : 2

can't enter water Physical evade : 10%



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Demon Magicks--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Nanoflare 0 20? 4/* 3/1 Any N Non-elemental magick attack

Unholy Darkness 40 15? 4/* 1/- Any N Dark magick attack

Ultima 10 20 4/* 2/1 Any N Non-elemental magick attack

Twister 4/* 3/2 Any N Wind attack

Almagest 4/* 3/1 Any N Does damage equal to (Ultima Demon's

max HP - current HP)



--DESCRIPTION--

The Ultima Demon is an enemy monster seen in a couple battles. It uses some

high-level magick, including Ultima, which Ramza and Luso can learn from it.



---DEATHKNIGHT-----------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Argath (ch. 4) Movement range : 5

Equippable weapons: Swords Jump height : 4

Equippable armor: Shields, helms, armor Physical evade : 24%



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Fell Sword--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Shadowblade 3/* 1/- Any N Absorbs HP from target

Duskblade 3/* 1/- Any N Absorbs MP from target



Fell Sword techniques have a 100% hit rate. However, they cannot be used

unless Argath is equipped with a sword, knight's sword, or fell sword.



--DESCRIPTION--

Argath's Deathknight job actually isn't very different from Gaffgarion's Fell

Knight job and has the same sword techniques.



---DEATH SERAPH----------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Zalera Movement range : 5

Equippable weapons: None Jump height : 4

Equippable armor: None Physical evade : 24%

Innate abilities: Float, Fly, can't enter water



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Dread--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Darkness 5/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Blind (100% hit rate)

Bind 5/* 2/0 Any N Inflicts Stop (100% hit rate)

Fowlheart 5/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Disable (100% hit rate)

Nightmare 5/* 2/0 Any N Inflicts Sleep or Doom (100% hit rate)



--Action Abilities: Ja-Magicks--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Toadja 35 25? 4/* 2/3 Foe N Inflicts Toad status

Gravija 35 25? 4/* 2/3 Foe N Reduces targets to 1 HP

Flareja 35 25? 4/* 2/3 Foe N Non-elemental magick attack

Blindja 35 25? 4/* 2/3 Foe N Inflicts Blind status

Confuseja 35 25? 4/* 2/3 Foe N Inflicts Confuse status



--DESCRIPTION--

Zalera wields both Flareja (a fairly powerful non-elemental attack magick) and

a wealth of status-attack magick. His most common attacks tend to be Flareja,

Nightmare, and Bind.



---SORCEROR--------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Cletienne Movement range : 3

Equippable weapons: Rods, staves, poles Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Hats, clothes, robes Physical evade : 14%



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Magicks--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Holy 56RA 17 5/* 1/- Any N Holy magick attack

Flare 60RA 15 5/1 1 All N Non-elemental magick attack

Graviga 50RA 10 4/* 2/3 Any N Damage = 1/2 of user's max HP

Unholy Darkness 40 15? 4/* 1/- Any N Dark magick attack

Arise 20RA 10 4/* 1/- Any N Revives KOed character with full HP



--DESCRIPTION--

Cletienne can cast a variety of high-level magicks, including one not available

to player-controlled jobs (Unholy Darkness).



---RUNE KNIGHT-----------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Dycedarg Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Swords, knight's swords Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Shields, helms, armor, robes Physical evade : 10%



--Action Abilities: Swordplay--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Judgment Blade 2/* 2/0 Any N Physical attack, causes Stop

Cleansing Strike 3/2 1/- Any N Physical attack, causes Doom

Northswain's Strike 3/1 1/- Any N Physical attack, instant KO

Hallowed Bolt 3/* 2/1 Any N Physical attack, causes Silence

Divine Ruination 4Dir 5/2 Any N Physical attack, causes Confuse

Crush Armor 3/* 1/- Any N Physical attack, destroys target's

armor

Crush Helm 3/* 1/- Any N Physical attack, destroys target's

headgear

Crush Weapon 3/* 1/- Any N Physical attack, destroys target's

weapon

Crush Accessory 3/* 1/- Any N Physical attack, destroys target's

accessory



--Action Abilities: Magicks--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Firaga 24RA 15 4/* 2/3 All N Fire magick attack

Thundaga 24RA 15 4/* 2/3 All N Lightning magick attack

Blizzaga 24RA 15 4/* 2/3 All N Ice magick attack

Bioga 24R 17 4/* 3/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attacks, inflicts

instant KO



--DESCRIPTION--

Dycedarg has a large selection of sword techniques, though not quite as many as

Orlandeau, since he doesn't have the two Fell Sword techniques. He also has a

second Magicks command that he lets him cast -ga attack magicks.



---THE WROTH-------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Adrammelech Movement range : 5

Equippable weapons: None Jump height : 4

Equippable armor: None Physical evade : 19%

Innate ability: Can't enter water



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Dread--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Petrify 6/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Stone (100% hit rate)

Fowlheart 5/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Disable (100% hit rate)

Aphony 5/* 2/0 Any N Inflicts Silence (100% hit rate)

Befuddle 5/* 2/0 Any N Inflicts Confuse (100% hit rate)



--Action Abilities: Magicks--

Holy 56RA 17 5/* 1/- Any N Holy magick attack

Firaja 48 10 4/* 3/3 All N Fire magick attack

Thundaja 48 10 4/* 3/3 All N Lightning magick attack

Blizzaja 48 10 4/* 3/3 All N Ice magick attack

Flare 60RA 15 5/1 1 All N Non-elemental magick attack

Graviga 50RA 10 4/* 2/3 Any N Damage = 1/2 of user's max HP

Bahamut 60 7 4/* 4/3 Foe N "Megaflare": Non-elemental attack

Odin 50 8 4/* 4/3 Foe N "Obliteration": Non-elemental magick

attack

Leviathan 48 8 4/* 4/3 Foe N "Tidal Wave": Water magick attack

Salamander 48 8 4/* 3/2 Foe N "Wyrmfire": Fire magick attack



--DESCRIPTION--

Adrammelech has the usual Lucavi status attacks, plus a wealth of magicks

available to conventional jobs. Of his Dread abilities, Befuddle gets used the

most.



---DIVINE KNIGHT [LOFFREY]-----------------------------------------------------

Used By: Loffrey Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Swords, knight's swords Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Shields, helms, clothes, armor, robes Physical evade : 21%



--Action Abilities: Unyielding Blade--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Crush Armor 3/* 1/- Any N Physical attack, destroys target's

armor

Crush Helm 3/* 1/- Any N Physical attack, destroys target's

headgear

Crush Weapon 3/* 1/- Any N Physical attack, destroys target's

weapon



Unyielding Blade techniques have a 100% hit rate. However, they cannot be used

unless Loffrey is equipped with a sword, knight's sword, or fell sword.



--Action Abilities: Magicks #--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Delirium # 20RA 20 4/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Confuse status

Induration # 16RA 10 4/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Stone status

Quiescence # 16RA 34 4/* 1/- Any N Inflicts Silence status



# Used at Orbonne Monastery only.



--DESCRIPTION--

Loffrey's Divine Knight job is quite similar to Meliadoul's, except he

exchanges the Crush Accessory ability for a higher evade rate. In your final

encounter with him, he gains a secondary Magicks command that allows him to

cast three Mystic Arts magicks (most likely used only if his weapon is

broken).



---DIVINE KNIGHT [FOLMARV]-----------------------------------------------------

Used By: Folmarv Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: Swords, knight's swords Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: Shields, helms, clothes, armor, robes Physical evade : 12%



--ABILITIES--

--Action Abilities: Unyielding Blade--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Crush Armor * 3/* 1/- Any N Physical attack, destroys target's

armor

Crush Helm 3/* 1/- Any N Physical attack, destroys target's

headgear

Crush Weapon * 3/* 1/- Any N Physical attack, destroys target's

weapon

Crush Accessory 3/* 1/- Any N Physical attack, destroys target's

accessory



Unyielding Blade techniques have a 100% hit rate. However, they cannot be used

unless Folmarv is equipped with a sword, knight's sword, or fell sword.



--DESCRIPTION--

Folmarv is even more similar to Meliadoul; his evade rate is just two points

higher.



---BRINGER OF ORDER------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Hashmal Movement range : 5

Equippable weapons: None Jump height : 4

Equippable armor: None Physical evade : 12%

Innate Ability: Can't enter water



--Action Abilities: Dread--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Speedsap 20 34 4/* 2/0 Any ? Lowers target's speed

Bind 5/* 2/0 Any N Inflicts Stop (100% hit rate)

Ague 5/* 2/0 Any N Inflicts Slow (100% hit rate)



--Action Abilities: Planar Magicks--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Meltdown 70 15? 4/* 4/3 Any N Fire magick attack

Tornado 70 15? 4/* 4/3 Any N Wind magick attack

Quake 70 15? 4/* 4/3 Any N Earth magick attack

Meteor 70 5 4/* 4/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack



--DESCRIPTION--

Hashmal wields some very powerful attack magick possessed only by him. He also

likes to cast Bind to inflict Stop. Ague and Speedsap are rarely or never

used.



---HIGH SERAPH-----------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Ultima Movement range : 8

Equippable weapons: None Jump height : 5

Equippable armor: None Physical evade : 11%



--Action Abilities: Arcane Magicks--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Ultima (II) 40 10? 4/* 3/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack



--Action Abilities: Chaos--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Grand Cross 20? 4/* 3/2 Foes N Inflict Stone, Blind, Confuse,

Silence, Berserk, Toad, Poison,

Slow, and/or Sleep (25% chance of

each)



--DESCRIPTION--

Ultima's first form uses Grand Cross, which hits your party with a variety of

status attacks, and a super-powered Ultima spell. (She also uses some physical

attacks.) She has Absorb MP equipped as a Reaction Ability and has an Elmdore-

styled Master Teleportation movement ability.



---ARCH SERAPH-----------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Ultima Movement range : 8

Equippable weapons: None Jump height : 5

Equippable armor: None Physical evade : 10%



--Action Abilities: Divine Magicks--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Divine Ultima 50 7? 5/* 4/3 Any N Non-elemental magick attack

Grand Cross 20? 4/* 3/2 Foes N Inflict Stone, Blind, Confuse,

Silence, Berserk, Toad, Poison,

Slow, and/or Sleep (25% chance of

each)



--Action Abilities: Divine Providence--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Disempower 15? 4/* 3/3 Any N Reduces targets' MP to 0

Dispelja 15? 4/* 3/3 Foes N Removes Float, Reraise, Invisible,

Regen, Protect, Shell, Haste, Faith,

and Reflect

Return 15? 4/* 3/3 Foes N Reduces targets' CT count to 0



--DESCRIPTION--

Ultima's second form retains her Grand Cross status attack spell and adds an

even more powerful Ultima spell. She can also use Dispelja to remove your

status buffs, as well as more physical attacks. Disempower and Return are

rarely cast. This form uses Faith Boost as a reaction ability and can again

teleport across the battlefield.



---DARK DRAGON-----------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Bremondt Movement range : 5

Equippable weapons: none Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: none Physical evade : 5%



--Action Abilities: Breath--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF JP EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Ice Breath 2/2 1/- Any Y 0 Ice attack

Fire Breath 2/2 1/- Any Y 0 Fire attack

Thunder Breath 2/2 1/- Any Y 0 Lightning attack



These three Breath attacks can only target characters in a straight line from

Bremondt, not on a diagonal.



--DESCRIPTION--

The Dark Dragon is essentially an "evil" version of Reis's Holy Dragon form,

only with a Lucavi-sized HP maximum. He has Counter as a Reaction Ability.



---SERPENTARIUS----------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Elidibus Movement range : 4

Equippable weapons: None Jump height : 3

Equippable armor: None Physical evade : 3%



--Action Abilities: The Dark--

RNG RAD

MP SPD H/V H/V TAR LF EFFECT

---------------------------------------------------------------

Snakecharm 1/2 1/- Any - Non-elemental physical attack

Poisonous Frog 4/* 3/1 Any N Inflicts Toad and Poison status (100%

hit rate)

Midgarsomr 10? 4/* 3/2 Any N Non-elemental magick attack

Zodiark 99 6 4/* 4/3 Foe N "Darkening Cloud": Non-elemental

magick attack



--DESCRIPTION--

Elidibus's principal attack is the mighty Zodiark summon, which regular

Summoners can learn if they are hit with the summon (and survive). His other

three reptile-themed abilities are unique to him. Poisonous Frog is the one

to watch out for, as it can turn a fairly large group of characters into Frogs

(as well as poisoning them) and has a 100% hit rate.



*******************************************************************************

VIII. ABILITY STRATEGIES

*******************************************************************************



%%%ABILITY COMBOS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00abil



Here are some combinations of abilities you may find particularly useful.



---Offense-Related-------------------------------------------------------------



Arts of War (Knight) + Equip Guns (Orator) or Archer's bows

------------------------------------------------------

The Rending techniques are a lot more useful when used at a distance! Against

mages, use Rend MP or Rend Magick to cripple their magick right away. And

against close-range fighters, you can use Rend Weapon to destroy their weapon

before they even reach you!



Arts of War (Knight) + Dual Wield (Ninja)

------------------------------------------------------

When you have two weapons equipped, you get also two strikes of any Arts of War

ability, making them doubly effective! You get two chances to break an enemy's

gear, or can decrease their stats twice as fast.



Attack Boost (Geomancer) + Holy Sword (Holy Knight) or Swordplay (Sword Saint)

or Unyielding Blade (Divine Knight)

------------------------------------------------------

Sword techniques are considered physical attacks, so pairing them with Attack

Boost will make them even stronger!



Fire Rod + Fire/Fira/Firaga/Firaja (Black Mage)

Ice Rod + Blizzard/Blizzara/Blizzaga/Blizzaja (Black Mage)

Thunder Rod + Thunder/Thundara/Thundaga/Thundaja (Black Mage)

------------------------------------------------------

The Fire, Ice, and Thunder Rods increase the power of the corresponding

elemental magick. So, pick a particular element of magick to focus on and

pair it up with the corresponding rod. Early in the game, this is a great way

to increase the damage your Black Magick can do.



Immobilize (Time Mage) or Leg Shot (Machinist) +

Aim (Archer) or Limit (Soldier) or Jump (Dragoon)

------------------------------------------------------

Abilities that take a long time to charge can often be difficult to use. But

not if the enemies can't move out of the way...



Corruption (Mystic) + White Magick (White Mage)

------------------------------------------------------

The Corruption ability makes enemies undead, which means they suffer damage

from healing spells. Suddenly, your White Mage's Cure spells become both a

great defensive tool *and* an offensive weapon ... and Arise works as an

instant KO attack! You can even use Arithmeticks to cause your White Magicks

to hit many targets at once!



Geomancy + Move +1 (Squire) or Move +2 (Thief) or Move +3 (Dark Knight/Bard) or

Teleport (Time Mage)

------------------------------------------------------

Since the Geomancy command inflicts different status changes and different

elemental damage depending on where you're standing, it's most flexible and

useful if you can get around the battlefield easily. Move +1/2/3 or Teleport

will help in that regard.



Barrage (Sky Pirate) + Guns

------------------------------------------------------

Using Barrage with a gun lets you attack two enemies in one turn, as long as

they're in the same line of fire -- see "Shoot Enemies Next to You" under

Various Tricks for the skinny.



Magick Counter (Black Mage) + Arcane Strength (Black Mage)

------------------------------------------------------

If you're going to counter it, why not make it stronger?



Black Magicks (Black Mage) + Belief (Mystic)

------------------------------------------------------

The Belief magick causes Faith status, which maxes out Faith. Casting it on

your own magick users makes their magick more effective. (Of course, if their

Faith is already high, you won't see much of a difference.) Or, if you already

have high Faith, you can also cast it on an enemy to make them more

suspectibile to magick damage -- so you can use Belief as a way of softening up

an enemy before a Black Magick attack.



Graviga (Time Mage) + Climhazzard (Soldier)

------------------------------------------------------

Climhazzard does damage equal to the amount of HP your target has already lost.

Hitting a unit with Graviga will take away half its HP, and Climhazzard will

take off the other half. Of course, you could just cast Graviga twice, but

Climhazzard charges faster and uses no MP. As a one-two punch, you can have

Cloud start charging Climhazzard while the Time Mage is the midst of charging

Graviga.



Haste (Time Mage) + Doom Fist (Monk) or Condemn (Orator)

------------------------------------------------------

Doom KOs a unit after it's received three turns -- so casting Haste on it will

actually speed up its imminent demise! Of course, you'd better make sure the

enemy can't hurt you too much in the mean time! It's best used against enemy

White Mages or Chemists (or other defensive units), but this is more a fun

combo than a practical one ;)



---Defense-Related-------------------------------------------------------------



Mana Shield (Time Mage) + Manafont (Mystic)

------------------------------------------------------

Whenever Mana Shield is triggered, it saves you from taking any actual damage

to your HP as long as you have at least 1 MP left. Of course, a strong attack

may cause you to lose all your MP ... but with Manafont, you can gain back a

little MP just by moving, which is enough to activate your Mana Shield again!



Darkness (Dark Knight) + Mana Shield (Time Mage)

-----------------------------------------------------

The strongest Darkness abilities normally consume some of the user's HP ...

but Mana Shield convers the HP loss into an MP one instead! This essentially

turns them into regular magicks (albeit ones with a hefty MP cost) -- plus, you

can then use Infernal Strike to swipe MP from the enemies and recharge!



Dance (Dancer) or Sing (Bard) + Vanish (Ninja)

------------------------------------------------------

The Vanish ability gives you Invisible status whenever you get hit, which means

that enemies can't target you again until you perform an action. But if you've

already entered into a Song or Dance state before Vanish activated, continuing

to perform it does NOT count as a new action, and you can stay invisible while

continuing to hurt the enemies or help your teammates! Switching to a new

song/dance will cause you to lose your Vanish, but you can always regain it if

an enemy attacks you again. And make sure you don't get caught in the effect

radius of a wide-area attack, which will also remove your Vanish.



Mirror Mail or Reflect (Time Mage) or Reflect Ring

+ Items (Chemist) or Chakra (Monk) or Moogle/Faerie (Summoner)

------------------------------------------------------

Reflect keeps almost all magick from hitting a character. This can cause a

problem if you're trying to use White Magick to heal, but Items, Chakra, and

the Moogle and Faerie summons are three abilities that WON'T be reflected. So,

you can hide behind your Reflect status but keep your characters healed! (This

is particularly useful with the Mirror Mail or Reflect Ring, which give you a

permanent Reflect!)



Darkness (Dark Knight) + Lifefont (Monk) or Dragonheart (Dragoon) or

HP Boost (Dark Knight) or Chantage

------------------------------------------------------

Sure, a number of Darkness abilities consume some of your HP ... but if you

equip Lifefont, you can gain a lot of it back as you move around! Or, use

Dragonheart or Chantage to give yourself a Reraise and you can laugh in the

face of death :) Finally, the Dark Knight's own HP Boost will increase your

HP totals so you have more HP to use.



Parry (Knight) + Cloths

------------------------------------------------------

Cloths have a 50% evade rate, so equipping Parry on a Dancer means you can

avoid half of all physical attacks.



Steel (Ramza's Squire job) + Shirahadori (Samurai) on any character

------------------------------------------------------

With a high Bravery, Shirahadori can protect you from virtually all physical

attacks. How to get a high Bravery? Well, Ramza's Steel ability is a Bravery

booster with a 100% success rate...



Vehemence (Dark Knight) + Shirahadori (Samurai) + Aegis Shield or

Escutcheon II

------------------------------------------------------

Vehemence increases your attack power at the cost of increasing the damage you

receive ... but Shirahadori will keep a lot of physical attacks from even

hitting you! Then, to protect against magick, equip an Aegis Shield or

Escutcheon II.



Reflexes (Ninja) + Featherweave Cloak

------------------------------------------------------

The Reflexes reaction ability doubles your existing evasion rate. Pair it with

a Featherweave Cloak for a 80% physical evade rate and a 40% magick evade rate

-- pretty good! You could also use a shield, but they don't work against

attacks from behind, and cloaks do.



Vengeance (Templar/Byblos) or Blade Beam (Soldier)

+ Dragonheart (Dragoon) or Reraise (White Mage)

------------------------------------------------------

Vengeance and Blade Beam both get stronger as the user's HP decreases, which

means they're most powerful when the user is near-KO. Of course, this is

normally kind of risky, but you can get some insurance with Dragonheart or the

Reraise magick, which will bring you back after you're KOed. (Of course, the

Byblos can't equip Dragonheart, but you *can* cast Reraise on it.)



Soulbind (Arithmetician) + Lifefont (Monk) or Reraise (White Mage)

------------------------------------------------------

Soulbind splits the damage you receive with the enemy who inflicted it. This

makes it advantageous for the character with Soulbind to take a lot of damage

... but you'll still need some way to heal the damage you DO take. Lifefont

will take care of that, or a cast of Reraise will revive the character if he

or she is KOed.



Soulbind (Arithmetician) + HP Boost (Dark Knight) or armor/job with high HP

------------------------------------------------------

Since Soulbind requires to take the full force of an attack before half the

damage is diverted back to the enemy, you'll want to make sure you have enough

HP to survive the original attack.



Regenerator (White Mage) + Lifefont (Monk)

------------------------------------------------------

You want HP? You've got HP... but if it's still not enough, throw in Chakra.



---Miscellaneous---------------------------------------------------------------



Equip Guns (Orator) + Poach (Thief) or Tame (Orator)

------------------------------------------------------

Monsters with low HP tend to run away into a corner, making it hard to catch

up and use the physical attacks you need to Poach or Tame them. So equip a

gun and you've got a nice long range :)



Summon (Summoner) +

Absorb MP (Mystic) or Manafont (Mystic) or Hi-Ether (Chemist)

------------------------------------------------------

Normally, summons eat up a lot of your MP -- but you can remedy this by

equipping an ability that gets you your MP back quickly.



Barrage (Sky Pirate) + Poach (Thief) or Tame (Orator)

------------------------------------------------------

Balthier's Barrage attack counts as a regular attack, so you can use it as an

easy way of Poaching monsters for items or Taming them onto your side.



Parry (Knight) + Nagnarok sword + Treasure Hunter

------------------------------------------------------

If you're using a character for Treasure Hunting, you want the character to

have low Bravery ... but this also makes most Reaction Abilities useless, since

they depend on Bravery to activate. Parry, however, only depends on your

weapon's block rate, so pair it with the Nagnarok sword and its 50% block rate

(add Equip Swords if needed) and you've got a decent Reaction Ability for even

a low-Bravery character.



Steal Weapon (Thief) + Throw (Ninja)

------------------------------------------------------

This isn't that great a combo, but there's a certain joy in stealing somebody's

weapon and then turning around and killing them with it.



Gil Snapper (Thief) + Throw (Ninja) or Iaido (Samurai) or Items (Chemist)

------------------------------------------------------

Throw, Iaido, and Items all consume items from your inventory, which cost

money to replace. Over the course of a battle, Gil Snapper will give you some

extra spending money to help replace what you used. (But, the money earned

from Gil Snapper is usually nothing compared to your post-battle Bonus Coin, so

this is not a very effectice combo.)



%%%CHARACTER STRATEGIES%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00char



---Generic Character Strategies------------------------------------------------



MONK (esp. RAMZA)

Reaction Ability : Counter or First Strike

Support Ability : Dual Wield

Movement Ability : Lifefont

Equipment : no weapon equipped

Bravery : High (as close to 97 as possible)

------------------------------------------------------

The Dual Wield ability gives you two punches. Coupled with a high Bravery,

this makes for an extremely powerful attack -- and you've also got all the

Monk's helpful restorative abilities. Strong punches are particularly useful

early in the game when you don't have access to high-level weapons to equip.

You can land even more attacks if you equip the Monk's own Counter or First

Strike. (First Strike is only good against humans.) Since you'll have a high

Bravery, these abilities will activate quickly and let you counterattack a lot!

Since this set-up leaves your Monk without any extra armor, Lifefont is pretty

useful for recovering HP.



This set-up can be particularly useful for Ramza because his Shout ability lets

him raise his own Bravery quickly.



BLACK MAGE or SUMMONER

Action Ability : Arithmeticks

Reaction Ability : Magick Counter

Support Ability : Arcane Srength

Movement Ability : Manafont

Equipment : Rod of Faith, Lordly Robe, Magepower Glove or Septi`eme

------------------------------------------------------

The ultimate magic-user. Be sure to have all the Arithmeticks, and get as

many spells (Black, White, Time, and Mystic Arts) as you can. If you want

maximum magick strength, switching back to Black Mage is the way to go.

Alternately, Summoner has a high magick attack as well, and gives you

additional magick variety by letting you cast all the summons, too -- although

a maxed-out Arithmeticks command already gives you pretty much everything you

could need!



If the character is female, Septi`eme perfume is a great accessory as it gives

you a permanent Haste and gets you turns much faster. For males, a Magepower

Glove increases your magick power.



For a more defensive character of this character, swap out Magick Counter for

Mana Shield, which uses your MP to protect you from physical attacks. As long

as you're using Arithmeticks, you don't need MP anyway, and if you keep walking

around, Manafont will regenerate your MP and keep up your Mana Shield!



NINJA or BALTHIER

Action Ability : Steal

Support Ability : Brawler

Equipment : Mirage Vest or Ninja Gear, Green Beret or Lambent Hat or

Thief's Cap, Hermes Shoes

------------------------------------------------------

If you're looking to steal items, this will do the trick! Ninjas have the

highest speed of any regular job, and the equipment raises it even further,

increasing your hit rate for stealing. Brawler raises it even more! Once you

get Balthier, he's even better for stealing items, as his Plunder abilities

have a higher rate of success than a regular Steal and his Sky Pirate job has a

high Speed to boot.



SUMMONER

Action Ability : Iaido

Reaction Ability : Absorb MP

Support Ability : Swiftness

Movement Ability : Manafont

Equipment : Wizard's Rod, Wizard's Robe, Magepower Glove

Faith : High

------------------------------------------------------

Summons are powerful, but take a while to charge and use lots of MP. You can

remedy the former with Swiftness and the latter with Manafont and/or MP Absorb.

To increase the strength of your summons, raise your Faith and equip a Wizard's

Rod, Wizard's Robe, and/or Magepower Glove. (Pure gains in magick attack may

be more helpful for a Summoner than elemental boosts since many summons are

non-elemental).



A good second action ability, if available, is the Samurai's Iaido. Iaido is

boosted by the Summoner's high magick attack but doesn't drain any of your MP.

It also activates instantly, so you can use it instead of Summon when you need

a quick heal or attack.



ARCHER

Action Ability : Arts of War

Reaction Ability : Archer's Bane

Support Ability : Concentration

Equipment : Bow

------------------------------------------------------

When you're attacking from a distance with bows, you often don't have a choice

of what angle to strike from, so Concentration will ensure you hit even when

attacking from the front. Adding Arts of War as an action ability lets you

rend enemy stats or equipment from a distance, and Concentration helps this as

well. To keep the enemy from shooting bows back at you, you can use the

Archer's own Archer's Bane ability.



GEOMANCER

Reaction Ability : Nature's Wrath

Movement Ability : Move +1/2/3 or Teleport

Equipment : Runeblade, Magepower Glove or Genji Glove or Tynar Rouge

------------------------------------------------------

Geomancy isn't really the most useful action ability, but if you want to use

it, the movement abilities Move +1/2/3 or Teleport will give you access to more

tiles on any given turn, allowing you to pick and choose which elements and

status ailments you want to attack with. A Runeblade and a Magepower Glove

(or, even better, a Genji Glove or the Tynar Rouge if available) will increase

the power of the Geomancy attacks.



NINJA

Reaction Ability : Reflexes

Support Ability : Equip Shields

Equipment : Crystal Shield (or better), Featherweave Cloak

------------------------------------------------------

It's almost impossible (if not actually impossible) to get hit. Imagine a

party of five of these...



SAMURAI or DARK KNIGHT ... or SQUIRE [RAMZA] or SWORD SAINT [ORLANDEAU]

Reaction Ability : Mana Shield

Bravery : High (as close to 97 as possible)

------------------------------------------------------

The downside of Mana Shield is that it's only good with high MP ... and most

high-MP jobs are magick-using jobs, where you need to *keep* your MP! But

Samurai and Dark Knight are two jobs that don't need MP to use their abilities,

but still have a high MP total. Ramza's "special" Squire job and Orlandeau's

Sword Saint job have even more, and are also melee-oriented jobs. With these

jobs, Mana Shield turns their extra MP into a nice buffer of extra health.

Raise your Bravery as high as possible so Mana Shield will activate more

frequently.



RAPHA - OR OTHER LOW-BRAVERY FEMALE CHARACTER

Job : Thief or Ninja

Reaction Ability : Parry

Support Ability : Equip Swords

Movement Ability : Treasure Hunter

Equipment : Nagnarok, Septie`me

Bravery : Low (just above 10)

------------------------------------------------------

Hunting for items in Midlight's Deep? With this set-up, you can turn Rapha (or

any other character with a low Bravery) into the ultimate Treasure Hunter.

Thief and Ninja are mobile jobs; both have a move and jump of 4, allowing Rapha

to navigate to more remote locations. The Septie`me perfume gives Rapha a

permanent Haste, allowing her to get more turns and scoot around the map even

more quickly, as well as making her Invisible. As long as she never takes

action and just moves around looking for items, the enemies will never attack

her. Finally, if she DOES lose her Invisibility (e.g. because she was hit in a

wide-radius attack spell), the Nagnarok coupled with Parry gives her a 50%

evade rate despite her low Bravery. Actually, this is pretty much overkill;

you could go Treasure Hunting with half these abilities... :)



---Special Character Strategies------------------------------------------------



RAMZA

Reaction Ability : Counter or First Strike

Support Ability : Dual Wield

Movement Ability : Lifefont

Equipment : No weapon equipped

Bravery : High (as close to 97 as possible)

------------------------------------------------------

This set-up, described above in Generic Character Strategies, works great for

Ramza because his Shout ability lets him raise his own Bravery quickly.



MUSTADIO

Job : Machinist

Action Ability : Items

Reaction Ability : Auto-Potion

Support Ability : Throw Items

Equipment : Magick gun, Japa Mala

Faith : High

------------------------------------------------------

After you've mastered Machinist, Chemist is a great supplementary for Mustadio

because it allows him to keep his gun (and consequently his long-range Aimed

Shot abilities). Once you've mastered Chemist, switch him back to a Machinist

for its improved Speed, then give him Items and Throw Items to make him into a

great healer/support character. If you're using the magick guns, you can

increase their damage output by raising his Faith and giving him a Japa Mala

for the elemental boost.



Since Mustadio's guns give him a ranged attack, you could also consider giving

him Arts of War, which will let him break enemy gear or reduce their stats from

a distance. However, you might find this somewhat redundant with Arm Shot and

Leg Shot, which while not identical are also pretty effective at shutting down

enemy forces.



LUSO

Job : Game Hunter

Reaction Ability : Auto-Potion (optional)

Support Ability : Dual Wield or Doublehand

Movement Ability : Lifefont (optional)

Equipment : Knight's sword, Power Garb, Headband, Bracer

Bravery : High (as close to 97 as possible)

------------------------------------------------------

Luso's distinguishing characteristic is his inherent Poach. If you want to

exploit this, you'll need to make it easy for Luso to kill enemies with

physical attacks. Give him a couple strong knight's swords with Dual Wield;

or, if you have only a limited supply, one knight's sword plus Doublehand.

Raising his Bravery with Shout will make his knight's sword even stronger. For

further attack boosts, equip a Bracer and perhaps a Power Garb and/or a

Headband. The Power Garb and Headband aren't the best armors in terms of HP

ratings, so if you give him these, you may want to give him Auto-Potion or

Lifefont to keep his HP up.



RAPHA

Job : Thief or Ninja

Reaction Ability : Parry

Support Ability : Equip Swords

Movement Ability : Treasure Hunter

Equipment : Nagnarok, Septie`me

Bravery : Low (just above 10)

------------------------------------------------------

As described above, this is a great set-up for the Treasure Hunter ability if

you want to exploit Rapha's low Bravery.



MARACH

Job : Netherseer

Action Ability : Iaido

Support Ability : Swiftness

Movement Ability : Move +1/2/3

Equipment : Magepower Glove

Faith : Low (as close to 03 as possible)

------------------------------------------------------

If you want to use Marach's Nether Mantra abilities, the first step is to lower

his Faith as low as possible (using Enlighten) to increase the damage Nether

Mantra does. This will also raise his defense against enemy magick. However,

it also means he won't be effective using regular magick.



Instead, try giving him the Samurai's Iaido ability, which makes use of his

high Magick Attack but doesn't depend on Faith. Another advantage of Iaido is

that (unlike Nether Mantra) it doesn't affect friendly targets, so you can use

it when he's in close quarters and Nether Mantra is a no-go. A Magepower Glove

could also be added to make both Nether Mantra and Iaido stronger.



Giving him Move +1, 2, or 3 will help him reach enemy territory before the rest

of your characters do, so he can use Nether Manta without any risk of hitting

an ally by mistake.



Finally, if you're concerned about the charge time of Nether Mantras, Swiftness

will help with that.



MARACH

Action Abilities : Nether Mantra and other magick ability

Support Ability : Swiftness

Movement Ability : Move +1/2/3

Equipment : Rod of Faith, Magepower Glove

------------------------------------------------------

Later, once when you get the Rod of Faith, you may want to consider giving it

to Marach. The Faith status maximizes both the Faith bonuses from Nether

Mantra *and* from regular magicks, allows him to use both!



Swiftness and Move +1/2/3 will still be useful in wielding Nether Mantra

effectively.



ORLANDEAU

Job : Sword Saint

Action Ability : Iaido or other

Reaction Ability : Shirahadori

Support Ability : Dual Wield

Movement Ability : Teleport or Move +3

Equipment : Chaos Blade, Excalibur, Maximillian, Grand Helm, Angel Ring

Bravery : High (97)

Faith : Low (03)

------------------------------------------------------

Orlandeau's tough in any form, but with the right set of ability, he comes to

close to the ultimate character and could win almost any single-player battle

by himself. As long as he's not using magick (and with his sword techniques,

there's not much reason to), you can lower his faith to render him nearly

impervious to enemy magick. He can't equip Chantage, of course, but an Angel

Ring makes a good back-up as it gives him one Reraise per battle in case he

does get KOed. If you want to poach monsters, ditch Dual Wield and the Chaos

Blade and give him Poach and the Escutcheon II instead.



Either Teleport or Move +3 is a great movement ability. Move +3 lets him cover

the map faster, but Teleport makes him more agile through difficult terrain and

large crowds of enemies.



Iaido might be a good secondary action ability since it gives him both group

attack capability and (through Murasame and Kiyomori) some healing and support

abilities.



For a more defensive version of this character, you can swap out Shirahadori

and Move +3/Teleport for Mana Shield and Manafont. You'll be a little less

mobile, but Mana Shield and Manafont will provide Orlandeau with an almost

constant buffer of HP that is effective against any kind of attack.



AGRIAS

Job : Holy Knight

Action Ability : Iaido or other

Reaction Ability : Shirahadori

Support Ability : Dual Wield

Movement Ability : Teleport or Move +3

Equipment : Chaos Blade, Excalibur, Maximillian, Ribbon,

Chantage or Tynar Rouge

Bravery : High (97)

Faith : Low (03)

------------------------------------------------------

Same as Orlandeau, but with the Ribbon's immunity to status changes, she's even

more invulnerable. For an accessory, you can choose between a Chantage (for

a permanent Reraise), or the instant Haste, attack boost, and protection of the

Tynar Rouge. The Rouge is probably the overall better choice, with the extra

attack power and permanent Shell/Protect, you may not even need a Reraise that

often!



Since Agrias is female and can't use the Bard job, getting Move +3 requires

unlocking Dark Knight; in the mean time, you can give her the Thief's Move +2.



BEOWULF

Job : Templar

Action Ability : Summon or Darkness

Equipment : Excalibur

------------------------------------------------------

Beowulf's Templar job is fairly useful as it can inflict a lot of status

conditions with no charge time. It also has the highest MP total of any job in

the game. This means that Beowulf can also make a good Summoner, since the

high MP cost of Summons isn't such an issue for him. If you take this route

with him, you may also want to give him Swiftness so the Summons charge faster.



Since Beowulf's Spellblade abilities don't depend on the strength of his

weapon, maximizing out his weapon power isn't so important. Instead, give him

an Excalibur for its permanent Haste effect.



Or, if you've unlocked Dark Knight, the Darkness abilities pair up well with

Beowulf's Vengeance ability. You can first use Darkness attacks, which sap

Beowulf's HP ... thus making his Vengeance attack stronger! And, if his HP

gets *too* low, you can restore it with Sanguine Sword.



REIS

Job : Dragonkin

Action Ability : Martial Arts or Steal or Jump

Support Ability : Brawler

Movement Ability : Move +3

Equipment : no weapon, Septie`me or Tynar Rouge

Bravery : High (97)

------------------------------------------------------

Although Reis has high HP, her punches are pretty weak without Brawler and a

high Bravery. Finally, since her move range is somewhat short, Move +3 (or a

lesser movement ability) will help her get across the battlefield. She can't

use much equipment, but you CAN give her perfume or lip rouge. Both the

Septie`me or Tynar Rouge will increase her magick attack (making her breath

attacks stronger) and give her Haste, allowing her to take more turs.



What about action abilities? If you've equipped Brawler, it makes sense to

also give her Martial Arts or Steal as an action ability since both these

abilities benefit from Brawler. Or, you could give her Jump, since she has

very high speed and this will make your Jump attacks execute quickly.



Paired with a Tiamat or Greater Hydra, Reis makes for one heck of a fighting

team, and she's also good at recruiting enemy monsters with her inherent Tame.



CONSTRUCT 8

Bravery : High (97)

------------------------------------------------------

Since Construct 8 can't change abilities or equipment and always has the

minimal level of Faith, the only way you can improve it is to max out its

Bravery and level it up.



BALTHIER

Job : Sky Pirate

Support Ability : Brawler

Equipment : Mirage Vest or Ninja Gear, Green Beret or Lambent Hat or

Thief's Cap, Hermes Shoes

------------------------------------------------------

Again, if you want to steal, this is the way to go. Balthier's Plunder

abilities and high Speed make him the best item-stealer in the game, if you're

so inclined.



CLOUD

Support Ability : Swiftness

Equipment : Materia Blade, Lambent Hat, Magepower Glove

------------------------------------------------------

Swiftness makes Cloud's Limits charge faster. And giving him a Lambent Hat for

headgear and Magepower Glove as accessoriy raises his magick attack strength,

which makes his Limits stronger.



MELIADOUL

Job : Divine Knight

Action Ability : Darkness

Support Ability : Attack Boost

Equipment : Chantage

------------------------------------------------------

Attack Boost is a good early ability to learn for Meliadoul since it will make

her sword techniques stronger.



Her main weakness, though, is that her sword techniques all only damage one

target at a time. And since the Divine Knight's magick attack is fairly low,

magick isn't a good choice for her either. Instead, you may want to consider

building her towards a Dark Knight. Several Darkness abilities can strike more

than target and she'll already have the sword she needs to use them.



Since Meliadoul is female, she can use Chantage; the automatic Reraise means

you won't have to worry about the HP loss from Darkness too much.



BYBLOS

Bravery : High (97)

Faith : Low (03)

------------------------------------------------------

As with Construct 8, tweaking the Byblos is pretty much limited to increasing

its Bravery. None of the Byblos's abilities depend on Faith, so you can also

safely lower its Faith to 3 to defend it against enemy magick.



%%%PARTY STRATEGIES%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00par



HOLY JUSTICE

4 Knights with Chameleon Robes

Black Mage with Arithmeticks, Holy (White Mage) learned, Chameleon Robes

------------------------------------------------------

Have the Black Mage calculate Holy on as many targets as possible; it will do

lots of damage to the enemies but heal all your characters since Chameleon

Robes absorb holy damage!



PHANTOMS OF THE OPERA

4 Dancers with Mincing Minuet (Dancer) and Vanish (Ninja)

Ramza as a Mime

------------------------------------------------------

At the start of the battle, have all the Dancers dance Mincing Minuet, which

will damage all the enemies. Have them Wait out all their turns and they will

keep on Mincing. When the Dancers get hit, Vanish will turn them invisible.

Now, if you act while invisible, you'll become visible again... but if you just

wait, you keep using Mincing Minuet, and it doesn't count as an action! In

other words, you can stay invisible (and consequently inVINCible) and keep

damaging the enemies. You can't lose! Well, except for Ramza... just have run

and hide; he'll Mimic all the Minuets. (In non-story battles, you can dump

Ramza in favor of another Dancer.)



KEEP YOURSELF ALIVE

1 female character with Chantage

Another character with Ninja Gear, the Invisiblity Cloak, or Septie`me perfume

------------------------------------------------------

Chantage makes a character virtually invulnerable by giving her a permanent

Reraise ... but, of course, the one catch is that at least one other character

has to be still alive for the Reraise to work. What to do? Make another

teammate invisible (using the Ninja Gear, Invisibility Cloak, or Septie`me)

and have him/her hide in the corner where s/he won't get hit. As long as the

invisible character doesn't act and stays invisible, s/he won't get targeted by

enemies and can't die. This means the character with Chantage can Reraise

indefinitely! You can't lose! The only possible snag is if the invisible

character gets caught in the effect radius of a wide-range spell, which will

cause you to lose invisibility, but hiding in the corner is usually a good way

to keep this from happening.



*******************************************************************************

IX. STATISTICS AND LEVELING

*******************************************************************************



%%%BRAVERY AND FAITH%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00brave



Bravery and Faith are two "special" statistics that are not affected by gaining

levels. Bravery affects a couple different combat skills, while Faith governs

the effectiveness of magic.



Bravery and Faith each range on a scale from 0 to 100 for each character, both

human and monster. They are not affected by equipment, experience level, or

job. Instead, only a few abilities and story events (listed below) will change

Bravery or Faith temporarily for a battle. At the end of the battle, a quarter

of this change (rounded down) also becomes permanent. For instance, raising

your Bravery by 4 during a battle results in a 1-point permanent increase at

the end of the battle. Or, a 9-point decrease in Bravery during a battle will

result in a 2-point permanent decrease.



This calculation means it's not possible for Bravery or Faith to be permanently

raised above 97 or below 3 -- you can only get a 3-point change, which is not

enough for a permanent change!



---Bravery---------------------------------------------------------------------



Bravery relates to a couple different elements in combat. Generally speaking,

a high Bravery is better (and, in fact, will help you out quite a lot!)



---WHAT DOES BRAVERY AFFECT?---

- The chance of using most Reaction Abilities in response to an enemy attack is

equal to your Bravery. So, a high Bravery means you'll use Reaction

Abilities more. This is quite helpful, and the best reason for raising your

Bravery.



- A higher Bravery increases the damage you deal when attacking with fists,

knight's swords, and/or katanas.



- A higher level of Bravery increases your level of success at some Errands.



- If a unit's Bravery drops below 10 during battle, she/he/it will turn into a

Chicken. As a Chicken, the character cannot be controlled and will simply

flee into a corner and do nothing. A Chicken regains 1 Bravery each turn and

will turn back into its regular self once his/her Bravery gets back to 10.



- If a unit's permanent Bravery gets too low, he or she will abandon the team

out of cowardice and permanently disappear from the roster.



- When discovering items using the Treasure Hunter movement ability, you

receive one of two different possible items based on Bravery ... in this

case, having a LOW Bravery makes receiving the "good" item more likely. For

this reason, Rapha makes a great Treasure Hunter as she starts with a very

low Bravery.



---WHAT CHANGES BRAVERY?---

Bravery can be increased during battle by:



- Your choices in two story battles. Choosing to rush the enemy and not help

Argath on the Mandalia Plain in Chapter I will raise the current team's

Bravery by 10 for the battle (at least 2 of which is thus permanent). In

Chapter II, choosing to help Mustadio at Zaland will raise Bravery by 20;

choosing not to help him will raise Bravery by 10.



- The Orator's Praise skill raises Bravery by 4.



- The Dancer's Bravery Boost reaction ability raises Bravery by 3 in response

to a physical attack. Note that one use of this by itself is not enough for

a permanent change.



- Ramza and Luso's ability Steel (only available in Chapter II or later) raises

Bravery by 5 and has a 100% hit rate.



- Ramza and Luso have an ability called Shout (not available for Ramza until

Chapter IV) that raises their own Bravery by 10, but can only target

themselves, not other allies.



- Reis's Dragon's Might ability raises a dragon or hydra's Bravery. It does

not work on other characters/monsters.



Bravery can be decreased by:



- Choosing not to help Boco in the story battle at Araguay Woods in Chapter II.

This gives a 10 point penalty to the party's Bravery



- The Mystic's Trepidation magick and the Orator's Intimidate ability each

lowers Bravery by 20.



- Beowulf's Chicken ability lowers Bravery by 50!



- The Dread Gaze ability possessed by the Floating Eye and Ahriman monsters

lowers a character's Bravery by 10.



Remember that only 1/4 (25%) of these changes remain after a battle.



---WHAT LEVEL OF BRAVERY IS GOOD?---

There's little reason not to shoot for as high a Bravery as you can get. It

makes your Reaction Abilities more effective, and increases the power of

certain weapon types. The ONLY downside to having a higher Bravery is that it

keeps you from finding rare items with Treasure Hunter. But, you can just keep

one specialized character with a low Bravery for that, and raise your main

fighting team to have as high a Bravery as possible. Plus, once you've

collected all the rare Treasure Hunter items, you don't need a low-Bravery

character any more and can raise his/her Bravery back up.



---HOW CAN I RAISE BRAVERY?---

The best way to gain Bravery is to use Ramza and Luso's Steel ability. Steel

gives you the largest Bravery boost (5) and has a 100% hit rate. (To increase

Ramza and Luso's own Bravery, Shout is even better.) If you want to grind

Bravery, deploy both Ramza and Luso, increase their speed, and use Steel/Shout

until everyone's Bravery is maxed out at 100. Then finish off the enemies.

Since only 1/4 of your Bravery gains are permanent, you'll have to repeat this

process quite a few times to actually reach the highest permanent Bravery

possible (97).



Also, when you encounter the three battles in the story where you're given a

choice of mission objectives, be sure to pick the options that net you a higher

Bravery (don't help Argath; help Boco and Mustadio). This is a nice early

Bravery boost before you have other abilities to tweak it.



---HOW CAN I LOWER BRAVERY?---

The only reason you'll want to lower Bravery is for Treasure Hunter, but the

quickest way to do this is with Beowulf's Chicken. (The good Treasure Hunter

items don't show up until after Beowulf is available.) Each use of Chicken can

net up to a 12-point drop in permanent Bravery. Use it over the course of

several battles to drop your Bravery quite a bit. For final tuning of your

Bravery, use Intimidate to make smaller 4-point changes. (Remember that if you

go TOO low, you run the risk of the character deserting!)



---Faith-----------------------------------------------------------------------



Faith is mostly related to magick, and can be both good and bad.



---WHAT DOES FAITH AFFECT?---

- Magick is most effective when cast by characters with high Faith. Attack

magicks do more damage, healing magicks restore more HP, and status-changing

magick is more likely to succeed.



- But, enemy magick is also more effective against you when you have high

Faith.



- Marach's Nether Mantra abilities reverses the above: it does more damage when

Marach has LOW Faith, and when his targets have LOW Faith.



- "Magick" guns (Glacial Gun, Blaze Gun, Blaster) are more likely to do high

damage when the user has high Faith.



- A LOW Faith increases the attack strength of fell swords wielded by the

character.



- A higher level of Faith increases your level of success at some Errands.



- If your character's permanent Faith level gets too high, the character will

experience a religious conversion and permanently quit the team.



---WHAT CHANGES FAITH?---

Faith can be increased by:



- The Orator's Preach skill raises Faith by 4.



- The Bard's Faith Boost reaction ability raises Faith by 3 in response to a

magick attack. Note that one use of this by itself is not enough for a

permanent change.



- The Mystic's Belief spell and the Templar's Belief swordskill cause Faith

status, which acts as a temporary increase in a character's Faith to 100.

Because this status has no effect on a character's actual Faith number, it

does not result in any permanent change to Faith.



- The Rod of Faith weapon gives the character equipped with it a permanent

Faith status as long as it is equipped. (But, again, this never affects your

actual Faith number.)



- Striking characters with the Rod of Faith can bestow the Faith status on

them.



Faith can be decreased by:



- The Orator's Enlighten skill lowers Faith by 20.



- The Mystic's Disbelief spell and Templar's Doubt swordksill cause Atheist

status, which is the reverse of Faith status: it acts as a temporary

reduction to 0 in Faith, but also has no permanent impact on Faith.



---WHAT LEVEL OF FAITH IS GOOD?---

Unlike with Bravery, there's no "best" Faith value since Faith is a double-

edged sword -- it makes your own magicks stronger, but it also increases the

damage you take from enemy magicks.



For magick-users, you'll probably want a high Faith in order to increase your

magick strength. If you have a support character using a magick gun, you might

want to boost his Faith as well to make the gun more effective. Remember,

though, that you can't get your Faith TOO high (95+) or the character will quit

your team.



If a character isn't going to be using magick, you may want to lower his Faith

as low as possible. Of course, this destroys his/her ability to use magicks,

but it also renders them virtually invulnerable to enemy magicks. For

characters who use primarily physical attacks (e.g. Ninjas, Dark Knights,

special characters with swordskills) and not magicks, low Faith is actually a

great defensive asset!



---HOW CAN I RAISE/LOWER FAITH?---

You're pretty much dependent on the Orator's skills to change Faith. Just make

as many characters into Orators as possible, defeat most of the enemies and

cripple the remaining ones (see tips below), then have them use Enlighten or

Preach on each other.



%%%EXP, JP, AND GIL%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00exp



---EXP and Experience Levels---------------------------------------------------



Characters gain experience after every successful action except Defend and

Re-equip, unless they're KOed by an enemy counterattack. Gaining 100

experience points advances a character's experience level by 1 and resets the

experience count to 0. You cannot "carry over" any excess experience; gaining

23 EXP when you have 99 EXP still leaves you with 0 EXP at your new level.



Stats that increase with level gains include maximum HP, maximum MP, attack

power, magick power, and speed. Attack and magick power and speed increase

fairly slowly, though; you won't see these increase with every level gain.



Bravery and Faith do NOT increase with level up; they have their own mechanic

(see Bravery and Faith, above). Other stats that do NOT increase with level

ups are Move and Jump ranges and evade rates.



Of the five stats that do change, the amount each stat increases at level-up is

determined by the character's current job. For example, being a Knight will

cause you to gain more HP at level up than a Black Mage, but vice versa for MP.

(You can exploit this by leveling down and then back up; see Level-Downs & Stat

Grinding, below)



A character's experience level and current EXP count can also be used as the

basis of targeting Arithmeticks (see the Arithmetician job description above).



---HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE?---

The number of experience points you earn is largely determined by the gap

beween YOUR level and the TARGET's level. You'll earn 10 EXP for performing

an action on a target as the same level as you. Performing actions (either

healing or attacking) on characters of higher level than you will get you MORE

experience, and the gain is bigger the bigger the difference in level. Of

course, healing or attacking characters of lower level will you earn you LESS

experience, and the penalty is bigger the bigger the gap (though you'll always

earn at least 1 EXP).



A good way to build up low-level characters is to have them heal teammates who

are at a higher level. This is safe and won't get them counterattacked, and

if there's a big gap in level, they'll gain experience quickly. This technique

is particularly useful for building up Cloud, who starts at experience level 1

at a time when most of your characters are probably at least level 40.



Guns are also useful for low-level characters since their damage is not based

on any stats that are dependent on level. (Regular gun damage is based only on

the attack strength of the gun, and magickal guns reflect only attack strength

and Faith, which doesn't change with levels.)



---OTHER WAYS TO GAIN EXP---

- The Arithmetician support ability EXP Boost doubles the experience you earn

from regular actions.



- The Thief action ability Steal EXP steals all of an enemy's current

experience counter (i.e., anywhere from 0 to 99) and adds it to the stealer's

own experience counter. This can be useful for small-scale experience

boosts, but it's limited by the amount of EXP that your enemy has.



- The Arithmetician movement ability Accrue EXP gives you additional experience

every time you move around the battlefield.



- The Wild Boar monster -- available only by breeding from a Swine or other

Wild Boar -- has an ability called Bequeath Bacon that becomes available

when it is standing next to an ally with the Squire's Beastmaster support

ability. This ability causes its target to gain 1 experience level, but

turns the Wild Boar into a crystal, killing it permanently.



---ONION KNIGHTS---

The Onion Knight job cannot gain EXP! So, the easy way to level up to Onion

Knights is switch them to another job to level up. The hard way is to use

Bequeath Bacon, which is time-consuming but rewards you with the best stat

gains -- see the Level-Downs and Stat Grinding section below.



---Gaining JP------------------------------------------------------------------



JP is gained after every action, just like experience. Characters earn JP for

each job separately -- whatever your current job is, that's the job you'll earn

JP for. JP is used to "purchase" new abilities. It is also used to advance

your job level -- see Unlocking Jobs up in the Jobs section.



---SPILLOVER JP---

Whenever a character gains JP, all other allies ALSO gain some JP for the same

job, equal to 25% of the JP earned by the original character. For example, if

a character on your team who's a Ninja performs an action and gains 40 JP, your

other units will also gain 10 JP for the Ninja job, regardless of what their

current job is.



This bonus applies ONLY to characters participating in the current battle. It

does not apply to the other characters in your roster whom you did not deploy.



Note that "spillover" JP accumulates even for a jobs a given character hasn't

unlocked yet. You'll see it once the job DOES becomes available. For

instance, if Ramza earns JP as a Dragoon, Agrias will get spillover JP for the

Dragoon job, even if she hasn't unlocked it.



JP continues to be earned and distributed this way even if the character

already has 9999 JP for the job and his/her own JP count has stopped.



---OTHER WAYS TO GAIN JP---

- Characters at higher experience levels gain more JP! So, you'll find it

much quicker to unlock jobs and abilities at the end of the game than at the

start.



- Characters also gain more JP as their job level for the current job

increases. This means your JP growth for each job isn't linear; you start

out gaining JP slowly, but gain it more quickly after you've advanced job

levels.



- The Squire support ability JP Boost increases the JP you earn for each

action by 50%.



- The Arithmetician movement ability Accrue JP gives you additional experience

every time you move around the battlefield.



- JP is received from completing any Errand available in the Taverns in every

town. For the best reward, match up your jobs with the demands of the Errand

-- see the Errands list for more information.



---Gil-------------------------------------------------------------------------



Gil is Ivalice's currency and is used to purchase items and services in towns.



Unlike EXP and JP, gil is not earned after every action. Instead, it's

primarily earned at the end of a battle as Bonus Coin. The amount of Bonus

Coin you receive at the end of the battle is equal to the combined level of all

the enemies times 100.



The other major way to earn gil is to sell items and equipment in your

inventory to the Outfitter or Poachers' Den. You'll receive half the list

price for each item (e.g., an item that costs 400 gil to buy at the Outfitter

will net you 200 gil when sold). A lot of equipment simply becomes obsolete

after newer equipment becomes available, so sell away! For example, there's no

reason to keep Leather Helms (+10 HP) when Bronze Helms (+20 HP) are available.

However, you may want to hang on to equipment with particular special effects

(e.g. immunity to certain status conditions), as these often come in handy for

particular battles.



---OTHER WAYS TO EARN GIL---

- Gil is received from completing any Errand available in the Taverns in every

town. It costs some gil to sign up for each Errand to begin with, though, so

your profit is often somewhat limited--in some cases, you can even LOSE money

on an Errand! For the best reward, match up your jobs with the demands of

the Errand -- see the Errands list for more information.



- The Thief action ability Steal Gil gives you a small amount of gil if it

succesfully hits an enemy unit. (Note that when enemy Thieves hit YOU with

Steal Gil, you'll actually lose money out of your War Funds!)



- The Thief reaction ability Gil Snapper, when triggered, gives you an amount

of gil equal to the amount of damage the character just received. This

actually isn't all that useful an ability, since the amount of gil you get

from it is small compared to Bonus Coin. (Even an attack that does 998 HP

damage would only get you 998 gil, compared to the tens of thousands you can

earn in Bonus Gil.)



- Many story battles also give you a fixed amount of gil as a Battle Trophy

after the battle in addition to the regular Bonus Coin. These include story

battles #1, #4, #5, #6, #7, #10, #13, #14, #16, #19, #22, #26, #29, #35, #39,

and #42. This gil tends to be helpful early in the game, but in the

later battles is quite small relative to the Bonus Coin.



- If you pick up an item from a chest during the battle and already have the

maximum 99 copies of that item, you'll instead be given gil equal to 1/4 of

the list price of the item.



%%%QUICKLY EARNING EXP AND JP%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00quick



The follow sections describes how EXP, JP, and gil are earned, and strategies

for earning them quickly and maxing out your stats.



It's RARELY (if ever!) necessary to spend time grinding experience to complete

the game. In most cases, a change of strategy is all you need to get you

through the next battle. But, if you're absolutely stuck or if you just want

to max out your characters, read on :)



---BASIC STRATEGY---

The basic strategy for quickly raising JP is to take out all but 1 or 2

enemies, and then afflict the remaining ones with status conditions that

prevent them from doing much of anything. Now, your characters can simply

perform actions over and over to net JP.



A more detailed breakdown of these steps:



---PARALYZING THE ENEMIES---

Status conditions that prevent the enemy from doing much of anything include

Stop, Disable, Toad, and Chicken. Chicken and (especially) Toad are the best

as Chicken lasts for as many as 10 enemy turns, and Toad lasts until actively

removed. Turning the last enemies to Stone will end the battle, so don't

do this.



Alternately, you can use your characters to trap the enemy in a place where it

can't move (e.g. in a corner, or next to tall obstacles), then turn those

characters into Stone (e.g. using the Mystic's Induration magick). This will

keep the enemy trapped where it can't move or attack you. Just make sure that

you have a way of eventually killing the enemy -- either a way to remove the

Stone status from your characters or a magick attack that can hit the trapped

enemy.



To further increase the number of actions you can take relative to the enemy,

you can raise your Speed and/or lower the enemy's (e.g., with Tailwind, Rend

Speed, etc.) This will reduce the amount of time you have to waste watching

the enemy move.



Finally, remember that it's important to keep the last enemy alive. If the

last enemy is KOed, the battle ends. For this reason, it's a good idea to

remove Reaction Abilities that would allow you to counterattack and

accidentally KO the enemy.



---RAISING JP---

The Focus ability (Squire) is probably the best for gaining JP, as it can be

acquired early in the game, requires no charge time, always succeeds, and does

not consume MP. Plus, it even has a fairly short animation! Once you've

turned the enemies into poultry or amphibians, you can simply use Focus over

and over to build JP.



Most of the special story characters, however, can't learn Focus, and neither

can monsters. For these characters, you'll need to use other action patterns:



- Inflict a minor status condition, then cure that condition. For instance,

make a character blind with the Mystic's Umbra spell or Beowulf's Blind sword

technique, then use Eye Drops to remove it.



- Attack other allied units. This works best if you turn the character into a

Toad first to minimize the damage s/he can do. (You could also use repeated

Rend Powers instead of Toad.) Or, equip the target with Chantage and she

will regenerate no matter times you attack and KO her.



If you're going to be attacking your allies, make sure they aren't equipped

with shields, cloaks, or reaction abilities that can stop attacks (like

Shirahadori or First Strike). You won't earn any JP for a dodged or blocked

attack. On the other hand, healing reaction abilities like Regenerator,

Critical: Recover HP, or Dragonheart will help your punching bags recover

from the damage they take :P.



- After you do some damage attacking your allies, you can also then use Chakra

or other healing abilities to heal the damage you inflicted, for another

source of JP.



Equipping the Squire's JP Boost is a HUGE help in raising JP. This ability

gives you a 50% boost to your JP and can be learned very early. (Even

characters without a Squire job have JP Boost available.)



Remember that the "spillover JP" effect means that whenever you gain for a

given job, the other active characters gain a lesser amount of JP for the same

job. You can adjust your strategy accordingly: If you really want to learn

abilities from ONE job, you can turn multiple characters into that job to

maximize your JP gains for that job. Or, you can use different jobs to spread

your JP gains between multiple jobs. This can be useful if Character A only

needs a few more JP for a particular job (say, Knight) -- you can make

Character B a Knight and Character A can just pick up the remaining Knight JP

from spillover while s/he works on a different job.



---RAISING EXP---

You can raise experience points in pretty much the same way as JP, since you'll

also earn experience for all of the actions listed above. Of course, EXP Boost

and Accrue EXP (both Arithmetician abilities) will speed your experience

gaining.



Since you can earn more experience by attacking/healing high-level characters,

a good strategy is to bring a mix of high-level and low-level characters, and

let the low-level characters beat up the high-level characters. Adding high-

level characters to your team will also increase the level of the enemies, and

so the low-level characters can earn more EXP from them as well.



If there's a sufficiently big gap in experience level between the low-level

and high-level character, you can combine EXP Boost and Accrue EXP to gain an

entire level per turn. Have your low-level character attack the high-level

character to gain most of the EXP needed for the next level, then move the

maximum distance to gain the rest of the needed EXP (via Accrue EXP). Repeat

the process in reverse on the character's next turn.



Once you hit level 99 and 99 experience, you can easily cast healing or

defensive magicks to your whole party using Arithmeticks and Level Multiple of

3 or Exp Multiple of 3. (Of course, you might hit a few enemies too.)



Note that, for monsters, it may be faster to get a "new" high-level monster

rather than level up an existing one. The level of a new monster born from an

egg can be as high as the highest-level character on your roster. So, if you

have a monster type you like but the monster is at a low experience level, you

can let the monster breed and you can probably get a higher-level version of

the same monster that way.



---RAISING BRAVERY/FAITH---

If you want to grind your Bravery and Faith up or down, you can paralyze the

enemies in the same way, and then repeatedly use abilities that change your

Bravery and Faith. The best abilities for this job are:



- Raising Bravery: Steel (Ramza/Luso)

- Lowering Bravery: Chicken (Beowulf) for large changes,

Intimidate (Orator) for smaller changes

- Raising Faith: Preach (Orator)

- Lowering Faith: Enlighten (Orator)



---PARALYZING EXCESS PARTY MEMBERS---

If you have extra party members that you don't want to level, use the Orator's

Induration spell to turn them to stone. This prevents them from getting any

turns at all, so you don't have to bother with them. (And, unlike being KOed,

it will never kill you permanently.)



This can be a useful strategy if you're trying to level up weaker characters,

who might not be able to handle the enemy party on their own. You can bring a

few strong characters to wipe out the batch of enemies, but then turn those

strong characters into Stone so you won't have to bother with them while your

weak characters train.



%%%AUTOMATED LEVELING%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00auto



It's possible to combine the above leveling tactics to make the game AI

automatically raise JP and experience for you! You can let the characters

fight and earn JP without even having to watch the game.



There are two different methods for doing this. The Simple Method is quick and

easy, but it doesn't work for monsters or most story characters and can be

tricky to use with a few generic jobs. The Universal Method is a bit more

complex and requires a few more abilities, but works for all characters and

jobs.



---The Simple Method-----------------------------------------------------------



This method, from reader winddraco, is quite easy to do, but it does NOT work

with monsters or with story characters except Ramza and Luso. It does,

however, also help you grind your Bravery up.



STEP ONE: You must have learned some ability that will let you cripple the

enemies' abilities to attack you. Either Toad (Black Mage) or Rend

Power/Speed (Knight) will work.



STEP TWO: In the Options list, set Battle Prompts, Display Ability Names, and

Display Effect Messages, and Display Earned EXP/JP (items 6 through 9) to

OFF, so that these messages won't interrupt the game.



STEP THREE: The characters you want to level up must have learned the Focus

ability (Squire). (This is why most story characters are ineligible as they

don't have Focus.) Switch these characters into the job you want to gain JP

as, then have them equip the Squire's Fundaments ability as a secondary

action ability. REMOVE any ranged weapons they might have.



STEP FOUR (OPTIONAL): Equip JP Boost on the characters who will be gaining JP.

This isn't strictly *necessary*, but certainly helps you gain JP faster!



STEP FIVE (OPTIONAL): If the characters who will be gaining levels are pretty

weak, you may want to deploy some other "helper" characters who will just

function to kill the other enemies. If you're doing this, make sure at least

one character in the squad has the Mystic's Induration magick available.



STEP SIX: Get into a random battle. A spacious map like Zeklaus Desert is

helpful because you'll need to keep your characters separated from the

enemies.



STEP SEVEN: Defeat all but a few of the enemies. Clear out the enemy bodies

and any chests or crystals. (Crystals will interrupt the battle with a

message you have to respond to, so you want to get rid of them.)



STEP EIGHT: Use Toad or repeated Rend Powers/Rend Speeds to reduce the

remaining enemies to a crippled state so they can't hurt you.



STEP NINE (OPTIONAL): If you were using any "helper" characters, use the

Induration magick to turn all these characters to stone. This will keep them

from participating in the battle or taking up turns.



STEP TEN: Move all your remaining characters to the opposite site of the

battlefield from the remaining enemies.



STEP ELEVEN: Set all the characters to AI control and pick the "Coward"

pattern.



11A) If Ramza or Luso is on the team, set him to the "Defender" AI pattern and

pick another character to help out. He will use Tailwind and/or Steel to

boost that character's speed or Bravery. This has the nice side effect of

helping you to raise your Bravery up too.



At this point, your AI-controlled characters should just run from the remaining

enemies while spending most (though not ALL) of their turns using Focus to

build their attack power. (They may also sometimes use other support abilities

instead.) Each ability used earns them EXP and JP. Meanwhile, the remaining

enemies are too weak to hurt you at all.



At this point, you can leave the game running while the characters build up EXP

and JP. Just make sure your PSP has plenty of power -- you may want to plug it

in before you leave.



STEP TWELVE: When you've earned enough JP to master your current jobs, press

Triangle to interrupt the battle. Select your characters and switch them

back to Manual control.



STEP THIRTEEN: Finish off the remaining enemies to end the battle. Your attack

strength will be through the roof, so this should be quite easy :)



That's it! This method is quite easy to do, since it really requires only

Focus. However, it doesn't work with special story characters who don't have

Focus (i.e., most of them) or monsters. For those characters, you'll need to

use the Universal Method below. A few standard jobs with long-range

special abilities (e.g. Dragoon) can also cause trouble as the AI may choose to

use range attacks. However, if you start leveling before you've learned those

abilities, you won't have to worry about this.



There's also a chance that your AI-controlled characters will occasionally

throw stones at the enemy and accidentally kill them because of their high

attack power. If you leave more than one crippled enemy in play, this will

help keep the battle from ending prematurely.



---The Universal Method--------------------------------------------------------



The procedure is also pretty straightforward -- you really only need the Toad

and Induration spells to do it, although having Rend Power and/or Rend Speed

and Berserk will help. The advantage of this method is that it is guaranteed

to work with ALL jobs and characters (including monsters!, but it may require a

bit more management.



Here's the method:



STEP ONE: Make sure at least one character on your team has learned the Toad

magick (Black Mage), and also either Induration (Mystic) or Arithmeticks.



STEP TWO: In the Options list, set Battle Prompts, Display Ability Names, and

Display Effect Messages, and Display Earned EXP/JP (items 6 through 9) to

OFF, so that these messages won't interrupt the game.



STEP THREE: Designate one character as the Toad-caster. Change the remaining

characters to whatever Jobs you want to gain JP.



STEP FOUR (OPTIONAL): Equip JP Boost on the characters who will be gaining JP.

This isn't strictly *necessary*, but certainly helps you gain JP faster!



STEP FIVE: Get into a battle. Random battles at the Mandalia Plain work great

because they have weak enemies and helpful terrain, but anywhere works.



STEP SIX: Defeat all but 1 or 2 of the enemies. Clear out the enemy bodies

and any chests or crystals. (Crystals will interrupt the battle with a

message you have to respond to, so you want to get rid of them.)



STEP SEVEN (OPTIONAL): Use Rend Speed (Knight) repeatedly to reduce the

remaining enemies' speed. This isn't required, but will speed up your

leveling by reducing the number of enemy turns interrupting the process.



STEP EIGHT (OPTIONAL): Use Rend Power (Knight) to reduce your own characters'

and the enemies' attack strength. This allows you to earn more JP per

battle, as your characters will have to take more turns to finish off the

enemies.



If you're going to be using Rend Power on yourself, remove any accessories or

reaction abilities that evade physical attacks (e.g. shields or Shirahadori),

so that you won't be dodging the Rend Powers.



STEP NINE: Use the Toad magick to turn the remaining enemies, as well as your

allies, into toads. Having a high Faith will increase the likelihood that

the magick succeeds in turning characters into toads.



Once you have Arithmeticks, you can use it to more efficiently cast Toad on

everyone. As noted in sahkuh's YouTube video below, Mandalia Plain provides

a great opportunity to do this. Just put all the characters you want to turn

to Toads on height 2 ground (and lure the enemy up there) and position your

Toad-caster stands on the height 4 rock, then cast Height Prime Toad. If the

spell misses any characters, move the remaining ones onto the height 3 rocks

and cast Height Multiple of 3 Toad.



If you're not using Arithmeticks, it may be helpful to bring Chakra or some

Ethers to make sure you have enough MP for repeated casts of Toad.



STEP TEN (OPTIONAL): If there any characters you don't need to level up, take

them out of the action so that they don't steal any of the EXP/JP! You can

do this in two ways:



10A) Set them to AI control and pick the Coward option. As long as they're

Toads, they'll simply run and hide in the corner.



10B) Use the Mystic's Induration spell to turn them to Stone.



STEP ELEVEN: Set your Toad allies to fight automatically. There are two ways

to do this:



11A) Use the Mystic's Fervor spell to give them Berserk status. (You can use

Arithmeticks to cast this on many characters at once.) If you have Fervor

available, this is the preferred method. Just make sure you don't Berserk

your human character by accident, as s/he will finish off the enemy toads too

quickly.



11B) Set the characters to AI control. Choose the "Berserker" AI pattern and

set them to attack the remaining enemies. As long as ALL your allies have

Toad or Stone status, they'll attack away. (If there is at least one non-

Toad character on your side, AI-controlled Toads will flee instead of

attacking.)



Note that method 11B will NOT work if any of the characters have the Black

Magicks command and the Toad spell, as the AI will then have the characters

cast Toad on themselves to turn back into human form. You can either drain

away their all MP beforehand, or just use method 11A.



The AI-controlled toads will sometimes also get "stuck" in a weird AI pattern

and stop attacking the enemy. If you're using this method and the AI stops

attacking, press Triangle to pause and change the AI to Coward for one turn

to make your characters run away. Then switch them back to Berserker and

they should start attacking again. Since this requires additional

babysitting of the game and isn't completely automatic, using the Fervor

magick is better. Characters with Berserk status will ALWAYS attack.



At this point, the Toad-ified characters will automatically fight the enemy

toad(s), doing minimal damage (especially if you used Rend Power beforehand)

but earning JP each time. This allows them to automatically earn a tremendous

amount of JP as they keep fighting in toad form. The only issue is what to do

with your remaining human character, who was casting Toad on everyone:



STEP TWELVE: Remove your Toad-caster from active control, so that your team

will be fully automatic. Again, you can do this in two ways:



12A) Cast the Mystic's Induration spell on yourself to turn to Stone. The

character won't get any turns at all for the rest of battle, so you won't

have to enter commands for him/her. However, s/he won't be able to

participate in the auto-leveling either.



12B) Cast Toad on yourself, then set the character to AI control and choose

the "Berserker" AI pattern to start attacking the enemy. This has the

advantage of allowing all 5 characters to gain JP, but it ONLY works if you

are using Arithmeticks to cast Toad--because if you have the Black Magicks

command available, the AI will simply cast Toad on itself and turn the

character back to a human. So, if you don't have Arithmeticks yet, use

method 12A.



Once you've turned your last human character into Stone or an AI-controlled

toad, your party will be fully automatic. Your toads will battle the enemy

toad and rack up a ton of JP in the process. At this point, you can simply

leave the game running and do something else. Just make sure your PSP has

plenty of power -- you may want to plug it in before you leave.



Eventually, your party will finish off the last enemy toad and the battle will

end. Then, it's time to repeat the process with a new battle. Using Rend

Power will allow each battle to run longer since the characters will need more

turns to finish off the enemy toad.



You can level every character in the game this way except for Construct 8, who

is immune to Toad status. To build up Construct 8, you can use Rend Power to

reduce its attack strength as much as possible and then set it to AI control.



CAUTION!: Of course, it's still possible for the enemy toad(s) to KO/kill your

characters. This is bad. However, as long as you outnumber the enemy and/or

used Rend Speed on the enemy toads, you'll win easily. If you want to be

extra cautious, give your characters Reraise before you've turned everyone to

toads.



YouTube user sahkuh has uploaded an excellent video demonstration of this

general method. At the time of this writing, this video is available at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3dSSDwNSFE



%%%LEVEL DOWNS AND STAT GRINDING%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00down



---THE BASICS---

As noted in the EXP section, the stat gains you gain at level up are partially

based on your current job -- for example, being a Knight will cause you to gain

more HP at level up than a Summoner, but vice versa for MP.



If you want to max out your stats, find a Degenerator trap on a map, or

recruit a Mindflayer and use Beastmaster to access its Level Blast ability.

(Both of these will lower a character's experience level.) Turn into your

character into a Chemist, Bard, or Dancer and activate the trap/Level Blast.

Since these three jobs have small stat gains per level, the level drop will

only decrease your stats a little. Now, change the character into a better job

and level back up. Your stat gains at level up will be based on the current

job, so by the time you get back to the same level, you'll have gained more

than you lost. This results in a net INCREASE in your stats, even though at

you're at the SAME level! If you really have nothing better to do with your

time ;), you can keep repeating this cycle over and over to keep raising your

stats.



Two convenient Degenerator traps that you may want to use:

- Zeklaus Desert, in the ravine in the center of the map. It's in one corner

of the ravine, on a tile of height 0 next to a cliff with height 3. If you

enter the desert from Gollund, you'll start fairly close to this tile.

- Midlight's Deep floor 2, The Stair. It's on the tile with one of the

Elixirs (see the Midlight's Deep sections above for the specific location of

the tile). Of the two Elixirs, it's actually the one that's right next to

where your team starts, which makes it really handy!



---RECOMMENDED JOBS---

What jobs are best to use with this strategy?

- For level-DOWN: Bard and Dancer are the best jobs to level-down with as they

decrease your stats the least. If you don't have those jobs unlocked,

Chemist is a decent alternative.

- For gaining SPEED, Ninja is the best. Ninja will also raise HP and attack

power, though more slowly.

- For gaining HP, PHYSICAL ATTACK, and MAGICK ATTACK, Mime is the best.

However, Mime will not raise your Speed at all.

- For gaining MP, Summoner is the best.



Gaining MP generally isn't important, so Ninja and Mime are the best jobs to

grind stats with. Overall, Speed is probably the best stat to raise (via

Ninja). Speed increases are normally pretty hard to gain, while HP and attack

strength are easier to increase. And a high Speed will give your characters

numerous turns to get the jump on the enemy.



Note that the stat-grinding procedure tends to favor male characters, since

Bard is a better job to level down with Dancer. (Leveling down as a Dancer

drops your physical attack more than it does as a Bard.) Consider it

compensation for the ladies' Chantage and Tynar Rouge ;) Of course, you can

eventually max out your stats for both genders; it's just *faster* for male

characters.



---ONION KNIGHTS---

If you REALLY want to maximize your stat gains, the job with the best stats at

level-up is the Onion Knight. But since Onion Knights don't gain regular

experience and can't equip the Steal EXP or Accrue EXP skills, there's only way

to level them up: the Wild Boar's Bequeath Bacon skill. First, you'll need a

Swine on your team; use it to breed some Wild Boars. (Wild Boars don't appear

anywhere on their own.) During battle, position the Wild Boar next to a

character with the Squire's Beastmaster skill (or Reis, whose Dragonkin job has

an innate Beastmaster) to make Bequeath Bacon available. Use Bequeath Bacon on

your Onion Knight. This causes the Onion Knight to gain 1 level, but turns the

Wild Boar into a crystal, killing it permanently. Then, get another Wild Boar

and repeat the process to gain another level, and so on. This obviously takes

a lot of time, but you can great stats out of it, so if you're into leveling,

go hog wild :) (pun intended ;) )



If you don't want to go to all this effort, you can just use the other jobs

recommended above. They don't quite as big stat gains as Onion Knights, but

you'll get to the same place eventually. And, unless you have a lot of roster

slots for breeding Wild Boars, it's probably faster to use Ninja/Mime to level

up. See below for a specific strategy for this.



---QUICKLY GRINDING STATS---

FAQ contributor winddraco suggests a great method for quickly grinding stats.



STEP ONE: The character(s) you want to grind with should be switched to a Bard

or Dancer. (We'll call these character the "Grinder(s).") If you don't have

Bard or Dancer available yet, you could also use Chemist.



1A (OPTIONAL): If you have any abilities or items to make the Bard or Dancer

Invisible, equip them. You can use the Ninja Gear or Septie`me perfume, or

even the Ninja's Vanish ability (use a weak attack against the character at

the start of the battle to trigger Vanish). Being Invisible will protect

him/her once s/he's been leveled down.



STEP TWO: Get into a random battle at Zeklaus Desert. Deploy the Grinder(s)

and Ramza or Luso the Grinder(s). If you need any extra "helper" characters

to finish off the monsters, bring them and the Induration magick (Mystic) to

turn them into stone when you're done with them.



STEP THREE: Defeat all but 1 or 2 of the monsters, then use Toad or Rend Power/

Rend Speed to cripple the remaining ones. At this point, you can use

Induration to petrify any "helper" characters.



STEP FOUR: Have Ramza or Luso use Tailwind repeatedly to raise the Speed of the

Grinder(s) and net them many extra turns.



STEP FIVE: Put Ramza or Luso out of action. You can do this in two ways:

5A) Have Ramza/Luso cast Induration on himself to turn himself to Stone. If

you do this, MAKE SURE a Grinder has Items as a second command and has

learned the Gold Needle or Remedy ability, and there is at least 1 Gold

Needle or Remedy in your inventory. You need to be able to cure

Ramza/Luso at the end of battle so he can KO the last enemy. And,

having leveled down to level 1, the Grinder will most likely be too weak

to KO anything.

5B) Have Ramza/Luso step on the Hypnogas trap in Zeklaus Desert to put

himself to sleep. The Hypnogas trap is located directly adjacent to the

single cactus on side of the map. It's on the side of the cactus facing

the ravine at the center of the map.



Ramza/Luso will eventually wake up using the Hypnogas method, but you

can have him step off the trap and back on to retrigger it and put him

back to sleep. Or, have him try a very long-range Teleport, which will

almost certainly fail and land him back on the Hypnogas tile,

retriggering the trap in a single turn!



STEP SIX: Have the Grinder(s) repeatedly step on the Degenerator trap. Again,

it's in one corner of the ravine, on a tile of height 0 next to a cliff with

height 3. If you have only a single Grinder, you can just stand on the

trap tile and use failed long-range Teleports to trigger the trap every turn.

Don't have the Grinder(s) take any action, just have them move, and you can

keep them Invisible and safe.



STEP SEVEN: When the Grinder(s) hits level 1, wake up or depetrify Ramza and

finish off the enemies.



STEP EIGHT: Outside of battle, switch the Grinder(s) to the job you want to

level up with (e.g. Ninja). Give them Accrue EXP and/or EXP Boost if

available.



STEP NINE: Get into a new random battle. Again, cripple the remaining enemies

and have the Grinder(s) attack high-level allies to gain levels until they're

back at 99. You can use the general tactics above for gaining levels. A

generally quick route is to have a high-level Ramza use Tailwind to raise the

Grinder(s) while they beat him up and (if they have Accrue EXP) move around.

Use Rend Power to reduce the damage you do to Ramza, and give Ramza Critical:

Restore HP to keep him alive.



STEP TEN: Rinse, lather, and repeat all 9 steps for even higher stats!



---OTHER USES FOR LEVEL-DOWNS---

The other reason you may want to use level downs is if you're expecting to face

enemy Arithmeticians (which is pretty infrequently). Changing level 99

characters to level 98 prevents them from being hit by Level Multiple of 3

spells.



*******************************************************************************

X. EQUIPMENT AND ITEMS 00equip

*******************************************************************************



A few words of introduction here as well: Many (but not all) items can be

bought at the Outfitters, but most are not available at the start of the game.

As you progress through the game, the shop inventories go through a series of

revisions. In the tables below, the SHOP column denotes which revision makes

the item available:

#1: Beginning of Game

#2: Chapter I - After reaching Eagrose Castle

#3: Chapter I - After Sand Rat's Sieve

#4: Chapter I - After defeating Milleuda at Lenalian Plateau

#5: Chapter II - Beginning of chapter

#6: Chapter II - After Ovelia and Agrias join as guests

#7: Chapter II - After reaching Lionel Castle

#8: Chapter II - After reaching Goug

#9: Chapter II - After battle at Balias Tor

#10: Chapter III - Beginning of chapter

#11: Chapter III - After Alma joins as guest

#12: Chapter III - After battles at Orbonne Monastery

#13: Chapter III - After Rapha joins as guest

#14: Chapter IV - Beginning of chapter

#15: Chapter IV - After Fort Besselat

#16: Chapter IV - After battles at Limberry Castle



A "--" in the SHOP column indicates the item is NEVER available at stores --

see the Rare Item Locations list in Section X for information on where to get

these.



All items, including ones that can't be bought at the Outfitters, can be sold

for 1/2 the listed price. Items acquired through the Poacher's Den are

bought for 1/2 the listed price.



# denotes an item that can ONLY be obtained in the game's multiplayer mode.

Note that such weapons CANNOT be Thrown using the Ninja's Throw command.



%%%WEAPONS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00weap



In the tables below, PARRY is the evasion rate granted by the weapon when used

with the Knight's Parry reaction ability. Without Parry equipped, this

statistic has no effect.



DAMAGE BASES: Different classes of weapons use different stats in calculating

their damage output. For example, the damage from Swords is based on the

user's Physical Attack stat (as well as on the strength of the sword, etc.),

while Ninja Blades take into consideration both Physical Attack and Speed.

(These are listed in the charts below for each weapon type.) Based on a

character's stats, you can try to choose a good matching weapon type. Here's a

quick overview of what stats relate to what weapon types:



Physical Attack : Swords, Axes, Rods, Flails, Crossbows, Polearms

Phys. Attack & Speed : Knives, Ninja Blades, Bows

Phys. Attack & Bravery : Fists, Knight's Swords, Katanas

Phys. Attack & LOW Faith : Fell Swords

Phys. Attack & Mag. Attack : Instruments, Books, Cloths

Magick Attack : Staves, Poles

Faith : Magick guns

none : Non-magick guns, Bags



(Note that since guns don't take any of the user's statistics into

consideration, they can be good for low-level characters with poor stats.)



DUAL WIELD: This indicates whether the weapon can be used with the Ninja's Dual

Wield ability, which allows you to equip two weapons at once.



DOUBLEHAND: Indicates whether the weapon can be used with the Samurai's

Doublehand ability, which allows you to wield one weapon with both hands to

increase your attack power. "Doublehand: Only" means that the weapon type

ALWAYS requires both hands. You don't Doublehand to use these weapons, but you

also can't use Doublehand to increase their attack power.



RANGE: Each weapon type has a range. The horizontal range is how many tiles

the weapon reaches. The vertical range is the maximum allowable difference in

height between you and your target. A * here indicates an unlimited vertical

range. Note that many weapons have different vertical range when used to

attack upwards (i.e., an enemy above you) vs. when used to attack downards.



Unlike magick, all weapons have an effect radius of 1 tile only -- they only

strike a single target.



Almost weapon types require a direct line of fire between the user and target.

The exception is regular bows (regular bows ONLY - NOT crossbows!), which can

also be fired in a vertical arc between the user and target.



SPECIAL: Finally, many weapons have various special effects. Most commonly,

these are one or more of the following:

- "Inflicts:" - The weapon inflicts a status effect on its target.

- "Always:" - The weapon gives the user a permanent status effect.

- "Boosts:" - The weapon increases the power of spells of the named element

when cast by the user (e.g. "Boosts: Ice" increases the power of ice

spells cast by the person with the weapon).

- "Casts:" - The weapon will sometimes cast a particular magick on its

target after dealing its regular damage.

- "____ elemental" - The weapon does elemental damage



---Fists-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack, Bravery Dual Wield : Yes

Used By : Doublehand : No

All human jobs, when no other weapon equipped Horiz. range : 1

Vert. range : 2 up,

3 down

Equipping the Brawler support ability (Monk) increases the power of barehanded

attacks.



---Knives----------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack, Speed Dual Wield : Yes

Used By : Doublehand : No

Regular Jobs: Squire, Chemist, Thief, Orator, Ninja, Horiz. range : 1

Dancer, Onion Knight Vert. range : 2 up,

Special Jobs: Squire [Ramza], Machinist, Game Hunter, 3 down

Templar, Sky Pirate

With Ability: none



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Dagger 100 3 5% #1

Mythril Knife 500 4 5% #2

Blind Knife 800 4 5% #3 Inflicts: Blind

Mage Masher 1500 4 5% #4 Inflicts: Silence

Platinum Dagger 1800 5 10% #6

Main Gauche 3000 6 40% #11

Orichalcum Dirk 4000 7 5% #12

Assassin's Dagger 5000 7 5% #13 Inflicts: Doom

Air Knife 8000 10 5% #15 Wind elemental

Zwill Straightblade 12000 12 10% -- Inflicts: Sleep



---Ninja Blades----------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack, Speed Dual Wield : Yes

Used By : Doublehand : Yes

Regular Jobs: Ninja, Onion Knight Horiz. range : 1

Special Jobs: Sword Saint Vert. range : 2 up,

With Ability: none 3 down



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Ninja Blade 3000 8 5% #10

Kunai 5000 9 5% #11

Kodachi 7000 10 5% #12

Ninja Longblade 10000 12 5% #13

Spellbinder 16000 13 5% #14 Inflicts: Disable

Sasuke's Blade 10 14 15% --

Iga Blade 10 15 10% --

Koga Blade 10 15 5% --

Orochi # 10 20 5% -- Drains HP from target to wielder

Moonsilk Blade # 10 26 5% --



---Swords----------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack Dual Wield : Yes

Used By : Doublehand : Yes

Regular Jobs: Squire, Knight, Geomancer, Dark Knight, Horiz. range : 1

Onion Knight Vert. range : 2 up,

Special Jobs: Squire [Ramza], Squire [Delita], 3 down

Squire [Argath], Fell Knight, Holy Knight,

Game Hunter, Templar, Sky Pirate, Sword Saint,

Sword Saint, Divine Knight, Soldier, Ark Knight

With Ability: Equip Swords [Knight]



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Nagnarok 10 1 50% -- Inflicts: Toad

Broadsword 200 4 5% #1

Longsword 500 5 10% #2

Iron Sword 900 6 5% #3

Mythril Sword 1600 7 8% #4

Coral Sword 3300 8 5% #6 Lightning elemental

Blood Sword 2500 8 5% -- Drains HP from target to wielder

Ancient Sword 5000 9 5% #10 Inflicts: Immobilize

Sleep Blade 5000 9 5% #11 Inflicts: Sleep

Diamond Sword 8000 10 10% #12

Materia Blade 10 10 10% -- Enables Cloud's Limit command

Platinum Sword 11000 12 10% #13

Icebrand 14000 13 10% #14 Ice elemental; Casts: Blizzaga

Runeblade 20000 14 15% #15 Magick Atk+2

Moonblade # 10 20 15% -- Always: Haste

Onion Sword # 10 50 15% -- Only equippable by Onion Knights!



---Knight's Swords-------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack, Bravery Dual Wield : Yes

Used By : Doublehand : Yes

Regular Jobs: Knight, Dark Knight, Onion Knight Horiz. range : 1

Special Jobs: Squire [Ramza] (ch.4), Fell Knight, Vert. range : 2 up,

Holy Knight, Game Hunter, Templar, 3 down

Sky Pirate, Sword Saint, Divine Knight, Ark Knight

With Ability: none



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Defender 40000 16 60% --

Save the Queen 10 18 30% -- Always: Protect

Excalibur 10 21 30% -- Always: Haste; Absorbs: Holy;

Boosts: Holy

Ragnarok 10 24 20% -- Always: Shell

Durandal # 10 26 40% -- Holy elemental;

Always: Shell, Protect

Chaos Blade 10 40 20% -- Always: Regen; Inflicts: Stone



---Katanas---------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack, Bravery Dual Wield : Yes

Used By : Doublehand : Yes

Regular Jobs: Samurai, Onion Knight Horiz. range : 1

Special Jobs: Sword Saint Vert. range : 2 up,

With Ability: Equip Katana [Samurai] 3 down



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Ashura 1600 7 15% #7

Kotestu 3000 8 15% #7

Osafune 5000 9 15% #9

Murasame 7000 10 15% #10

Ama-no-Murakumo 8000 11 15% #11

Kiyomori 10000 12 15% #13

Muramasa 15000 14 15% #14

Kiku-ichimonji 22000 15 15% #15

Masamune 10 18 15% --

Chirijiraden 10 25 15% --



---Axes------------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack Dual Wield : No

Used By : Doublehand : Only

Regular Jobs: Squire, Geomancer, Dark Knight, Horiz. range : 1

Onion Knight Vert. range : 2 up,

Special Jobs: Squire [Argath] 3 down

With Ability: Equip Axes [Squire]



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Battle Axe 1500 9 0% #4

Giant's Axe 4000 12 0% #7

Slasher 12000 16 0% #11 Inflicts: Slow

Francisca # 10 24 0% --

Golden Axe # 10 30 0% --



Note: All axes do variable damage. The actual damage inflicted may be more or

less than the estimate you see. (The estimate is the *average* damage you'll

inflict.)



---Rods------------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack Dual Wield : Yes

Used By : Doublehand : Yes

Regular Jobs: Black Mage, Summoner, Mystic, Horiz. range : 1

Onion Knight Vert. range : 2 up,

Special Jobs: Netherseer 3 down

With Ability: none



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Rod 200 3 20% #1

Thunder Rod 400 3 20% #3 Lightning elemental;

Boosts: Lightning,

Casts: Thunder

Flame Rod 400 3 20% #3 Fire elemental; Boosts: Fire;

Casts: Fire

Ice Rod 400 3 20% #3 Ice elemental; Boosts: Ice;

Casts: Blizzard

Poison Rod 500 3 20% #6 Inflicts: Poison

Wizard's Rod 8000 4 20% #12 Magick Atk+2

Dragon Rod 12000 5 20% --

Rod of Faith 10 5 20% -- Always: Faith; Inflicts: Faith

Stardust Rod # 10 5 20% -- Magick Atk+3; Casts: Gravity

Crown Sceptre # 10 5 20% -- Magick Atk+4



---Staves----------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Magick Attack Dual Wield : Yes

Used By : Doublehand : Yes

Regular Jobs: White Mage, Time Mage, Summoner, Mystic, Horiz. range : 1

Onion Knight Vert. range : 2 up,

Special Jobs: Princess, Cleric, Skyseer 3 down

With Ability: none



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Oak Staff 120 3 15% #1

White Staff 800 3 15% #3 Removes (from target): Doom

Serpent Staff 2200 5 15% #6

Mage's Staff 4000 4 15% #9 Magick Atk+1

Healing Staff 4000 4 15% -- Restores HP instead of inflicting

damage

Nirvana # 10 5 15% -- Holy elemental, Magick Atk+3

Dreamwaker # 10 5 15% -- Magick Atk+4

Golden Staff 7000 6 15% #12

Zeus Mace 10 6 15% -- Physical Atk+2, Magick Atk+1

Staff of the Magi 10 7 15% --



---Flails----------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack Dual Wield : Yes

Used By : Doublehand : Yes

Regular Jobs: Squire, Ninja, Dark Knight, Onion Knight Horiz. range : 1

Special Jobs: Squire [Ramza], Squire [Delita], Vert. range : 2 up,

Squire [Argath], Game Hunter : 3 down

With Ability: none



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Iron Flail 1200 9 0% #9

Flame Mace 4000 11 0% #11 Fire elemental; Casts: Fira

Morning Star 9000 16 0% #13

Scorpion Tail 40000 23 0% --

Vesper # 10 36 0% --



Note: All axes do variable damage. The actual damage inflicted may be more or

less than the estimate you see. (The estimate is the *average* damage you'll

inflict.)



---Guns------------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: nothing (regular guns) Dual Wield : No

Faith (magick guns) Doublehand : No

Used By : Horiz. range : 3-8

Regular Jobs: Chemist, Orator, Onion Knight Vert. range : * up,

Special Jobs: Machinist, Sky Pirate * down

With Ability: Equip Guns [Orator]



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Romandan Pistol 5000 6 5% #8

Mythril Gun 15000 8 5% #11

Ras Algethi 28000 12 5% --

Stoneshooter 10 16 5% -- Inflicts: Stone; user begins each

battle with Stone status

Fomalhaut # 10 18 5% --

Glacial Gun 10 20 5% -- Ice elemental; variable damage*

Blaze Gun 10 21 5% -- Fire elemental; variable damage*

Blaster 10 22 5% -- Lightning elemental;

variable damage*



Note: All guns have a 100% hit rate, although Shirahadori can still be used to

block them.



* Note 2: These three guns do variable damage. The actual damage inflicted may

be MORE than the estimate you see. (Unlike with axes or flails, the damage

done by elemental guns is never LESS than the estimate.)



---Crossbows-------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack Dual Wield : No

Used By : Doublehand : No

Regular Jobs: Archer, Onion Knight Horiz. range : 3-4

Special Jobs: Sky Pirate, Divine Knight Vert. range : * up,

With Ability: Equip Crossbows [Archer] * down



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Bowgun 400 3 5% #2

Knightslayer 1500 3 5% #4 Inflicts: Blind

Crossbow 2000 4 5% #7

Poison Bow 4000 4 5% #10 Inflicts: Poison

Hunting Bow 8000 6 5% #12

Gastrophetes 20000 10 5% #15



---Bows------------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack, Speed Dual Wield : No

Used By : Doublehand : Only

Regular Jobs: Archer, Onion Knight Horiz. range : 3-5*

Special Jobs: Sky Pirate Vert. range : * up,

With Ability: none * down



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Long Bow 800 4 0% #3

Silver Bow 1500 5 0% #4

Ice Bow 2000 5 0% #5 Ice elemental

Lightning Bow 3000 6 0% #7 Lightning elemental;

Casts: Thundaga

Mythril Bow 5000 7 0% #10

Windslash Bow 8000 8 0% #12 Wind elemental

Artemis Bow 22000 10 0% --

Yoichi Bow 10 12 0% --

Perseus Bow 10 16 0% --

Sagittarius Bow # 10 24 0% --



* Note: Bows have a horizontal range of 3-5 on level ground. Attacking

downwards INCREASES the maximum range, while firing upwards decreases your

range. From a high vantage point, you can shoot extremely far!



Note 2: Unlike all other weapons, bows do not require a direct line of fire,

since they can also be fired in an arc over obstacles and other enemies. This

is really helpful in maps crowded with enemies or obstacles.



---Instruments-----------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack, Magick Attack Dual Wield : No

Used By : Doublehand : No

Regular Jobs: Bard, Onion Knight Horiz. range : 3

Special Jobs: none Vert. range : * up,

With Ability: none * down



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Lamia's Harp 5000 10 10% #7 Inflicts: Confuse

Bloodstring Harp 10000 13 10% #12 Drains HP from target to wielder

Faerie Harp 30000 15 10% -- Inflicts: Charm



Note that unlike other Charm attacks, the Faerie Harp can be used on all

targets: on same- and opposite-gender humans and on monsters.



---Books-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack, Magick Attack Dual Wield : No

Used By : Doublehand : No

Regular Jobs: Mystic, Arithmetician, Onion Knight Horiz. range : 3

Special Jobs: Astrologer Vert. range : * up,

With Ability: none * down



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Battle Folio 3000 7 15% #7

Bestiary 6000 8 15% #11

Papyrus Codex 10000 9 15% #12

Omnilex 30000 11 15% --



---Polearms--------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack Dual Wield : No

Used By : Doublehand : Yes

Regular Jobs: Dragoon, Onion Knight Horiz. range : 1-2

Special Jobs: Sky Pirate, Divine Knight Vert. range : 3 up,

With Ability: Equip Polearms [Dragoon] 3 down



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Javelin 1000 8 10% #5

Spear 2000 9 10% #7

Mythril Spear 4500 10 10% #10

Partisan 7000 11 10% #12

Obelisk 10000 12 10% #15

Holy Lance 18000 14 10% -- Holy elemental; Casts: Holy

Dragon Whisker 44000 17 10% --

Gae Bolg # 10 24 15% --

Gungnir # 10 29 15% -- Lightning elemental

Javelin (II) 1000 30 10% --



---Poles-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Magick Attack Dual Wield : No

Used By : Doublehand : Yes

Regular Jobs: Mystic, Arithmetician, Onion Knight Horiz. range : 1-2

Special Jobs: Skyseer, Netherseer Vert. range : 3 up,

With Ability: none 3 down



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Cypress Pole 1000 6 20% #6

Battle Bamboo 1400 7 20% #7

Musk Pole 2400 8 20% #10

Iron Fan 4000 9 20% #11

Gokuu Pole 7500 10 20% #12 Inflicts: Atheist

Ivory Pole 10000 11 20% --

Eight-fluted Pole 20000 12 20% #15 Removes (from target): Blind,

Silence, Oil, Toad, Poison, Slow,

Stop, Immobilize, Disable

Whale Whisker 37000 16 20% --



---Bags------------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: nothing Dual Wield : No

Used By : Doublehand : No

Regular Jobs: Women (any job), Onion Knights (m or f!) Horiz. range : 1

Special Jobs: Women (any job) Vert. range : 2 up,

With Ability: none 3 down



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Pantherskin Bag 52000 12 0% #12 Always: Regen

Croakadile Bag 53000 10 0% #10 Magick Atk+1

Hydrascale Bag 58000 14 0% #15 Speed+1

Fallingstar Bag 60000 20 0% --



Note: All bags do variable damage. The actual damage inflicted may be more or

less than the estimate you see. (The estimate is the *average* damage you'll

inflict.)



---Cloths----------------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack, Magick Attack Dual Wield : No

Used By : Doublehand : No

Regular Jobs: Dancer, Onion Knight Horiz. range : 1-2

Special Jobs: none Vert. range : 3 up,

With Ability: none : 3 down



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Damask Cloth 7000 8 50% #11

Cashmere 15000 10 50% #13

Wyrmweave Silk 40000 15 50% --



---Fell Swords-----------------------------------------------------------------

Damage based on user's: Physical Attack, LOW Faith Dual Wield : No

Used By : Doublehand : Only

Regular Jobs: Dark Knight, Onion Knight Horiz. range : 1

Special Jobs: none Vert. range : 2 up

With Ability: none 3 down



PRICE ATK PARRY SHOP SPECIAL

Chaosbringer # 10 16 0% -- Dark elemental, Inflicts: Blind

Deathbringer # 10 20 0% -- Dark elemental, Inflicts: Doom

Arondight # 10 24 0% -- Dark elemental, Inflicts: Slow

Balmung # 10 32 0% -- Dark elemental, Inflicts: Stop

Valhalla # 10 40 0% -- Dark elemental;

Inflicts: instant KO



%%%SHIELDS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00shield



Shields are used to increase your evade rate. The PHYS and MAG columns show

the evasion rate of the shield for physical and magickal attacks, respectively.

Note that shields are ineffective against attacks from the rear.



Used By:

Regular Jobs : Knight, Archer, Geomancer, Dragoon, Dark Knight, Onion Knight

Special Jobs : Squire [Ramza] (ch. 2+), Fell Knight, Holy Knight,

Game Hunter, Templar, Sky Pirate, Sword Saint, Divine Knight,

Ark Knight

With Ability : Equip Shields [Knight]



PRICE PHYS MAG SHOP SPECIAL

Escutcheon 400 10% 3% #2

Buckler 700 13% 3% #3

Bronze Shield 1200 16% 0% #4

Round Shield 1600 19% 0% #5

Mythril Shield 2500 22% 5% #6

Golden Shield 3500 25% 0% #7

Ice Shield 6000 28% 0% #10 Absorbs: Ice; Halves: Fire;

Weakness: Lightning

Flame Shield 6500 31% 0% #10 Absorbs: Fire; Halves: Ice;

Weakness: Water

Aegis Shield 10000 10% 50% #1 Magick Atk+1

Diamond Shield 12000 34% 15% #12

Platinum Shield 16000 37% 10% #14

Crystal Shield 21000 40% 15% #15

Genji Shield # 10 43% 0% --

Kaiser Shield 10 46% 20% -- Boosts: Fire, Lightning, Ice

Venetian Shield 10 50% 25% -- Halves: Fire, Lightning, Ice

Reverie Shield # 10 50% 25% -- Halves: All elemental damage

Escutcheon (II) 400 75% 50% --

Onion Shield # 10 80% 75% -- Only equippable by Onion Knights



%%%HEADGEAR%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00head



Headgear (and armor) increases maximum HP and MP. The HP and MP columns show

how much each piece of gear increases your HP/MP.



---Helms-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By:

Regular Jobs : Knight, Dragoon, Samurai, Dark Knight, Onion Knight

Special Jobs : Squire [Ramza] (ch. 2+), Fell Knight, Holy Knight,

Game Hunter, Templar, Sky Pirate, Sword Saint, Divine Knight,

Ark Knight

With Ability : Equip Heavy Armor [Knight]





PRICE HP MP SHOP SPECIAL

Leather Helm 200 10 0 #2

Bronze Helm 500 20 0 #2

Iron Helm 1000 30 0 #3

Barbut 1500 40 0 #5

Mythril Helm 2100 50 0 #6

Golden Helm 2800 60 0 #7

Close Helmet 4000 70 0 #10

Diamond Helm 6000 80 0 #11

Platinum Helm 8000 90 0 #13

Circlet 10000 100 0 #13

Crystal Helm 14000 120 0 #15

Genji Helm # 10 130 0 --

Grand Helm 10 150 0 -- Immune: Blind, Sleep

Vanguard Helm # 10 150 20 --

Onion Helm # 10 200 0 -- Only equippable by Onion Knights



--Hats-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By:

Regular Jobs : Squire, Chemist, Archer, White Mage, Black Mage, Time Mage,

Summoner, Thief, Orator, Mystic, Geomancer, Ninja,

Arithmetician, Bard, Dancer, Onion Knight

Special Jobs : Squire [Ramza], Squire [Delita], Squire [Argath], Princess,

Machinist, Astrologer, Cleric, Game Hunter, Skyseer,

Netherseer, Sky Pirate, Sword Saint, Soldier

With Ability : none



Used By: Squire, Chemist, Archer, White Mage, Black Mage, Time Mage, Summoner,

Thief, Orator, Mystic, Geomancer, Ninja, Arithmetician, Bard, Dancer



PRICE HP MP SHOP SPECIAL

Leather Cap 150 8 0 #1

Plumed Hat 350 16 5 #2

Red Hood 800 24 8 #3

Headgear 1200 32 0 #5 Physical Atk+1

Wizard's Hat 1800 40 12 #6 Magick Atk+1

Green Beret 3000 48 0 #7 Speed+1

Headband 5000 56 0 #10 Physical Atk+2

Brass Coronet # 10 60 100 -- Magick Atk+3; Immune: Silence

Celebrant's Miter 6000 64 20 #11 Magick Atk+1

Black Cowl 7000 72 0 #12

Gold Hairpin 12000 80 50 #13 Immune: Silence

Lambent Hat 16000 88 15 #15 Magick Atk+1, Speed+1

Thief's Cap 35000 100 0 #16 Speed+2; Immune: Immobilize, Disable

Acacia Hat # 10 120 20 -- Speed+2; Immune: Berserk, Charm,

Confuse



---Hair Adornments-------------------------------------------------------------

Used By:

Regular Jobs : Women (any job), Onion Knights (of either gender)

Special Jobs : Soldier

With Ability : none



PRICE HP MP SHOP SPECIAL

Cachusha 20000 20 0 -- Immune: Undead, Blind, Silence,

Toad, Poison, Slow, Immobilize,

Disable, Doom

Barette 20000 20 0 -- Immune: KO, Stone, Traitor, Confuse,

Vampire, Berserk, Stop, Charm,

Sleep

Ribbon 60000 10 0 -- Immune: All negative status except

Chicken, Oil, Atheist, and Faith



%%%ARMOR%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00armor



Armor (and headgear) increases maximum HP and MP. The HP and MP columns show

how much each piece of gear increases your HP/MP.



---Armor-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By:

Regular Jobs : Knight, Dragoon, Samurai, Dark Knight, Onion Knight

Special Jobs : Squire [Ramza] (ch. 2+), Fell Knight, Holy Knight,

Game Hunter, Templar, Sky Pirate, Sword Saint, Divine Knight,

Ark Knight

With Ability : Equip Heavy Armor [Knight]



PRICE HP MP SHOP SPECIAL

Leather Armor 200 10 0 #2

Linen Cuirass 600 20 0 #2

Bronze Armor 800 30 0 #3

Chainmail 1300 40 0 #4

Mythril Armor 2000 50 0 #5

Plate Mail 3000 60 0 #6

Golden Armor 3600 70 0 #7

Diamond Armor 6000 80 0 #11

Platinum Armor 9000 90 0 #13

Carabineer Mail 13000 100 0 #14

Mirror Mail 18000 130 0 #15 Always: Reflect

Crystal Mail 19000 110 0 #15

Genji Armor 10 150 0 --

Grand Armor # 10 170 0 -- Always: Regen, Reraise

Maximillian 10 200 0 --

Onion Armor # 10 250 0 -- Only equippable by Onion Knights;

Always: Regen, Reraise, Shell,

Protect



Like Chantage, the Onion Armor and Grand Armor allow for an infinite number of

Reraises per battle.



---Clothes---------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By:

Regular Jobs : All except Knight, Dragoon, Samurai, Mime, Dark Knight

Special Jobs : All except Holy Dragon, Automaton, Dragonkin, Byblos

With Ability : none



PRICE HP MP SHOP SPECIAL

Clothing 150 5 0 #1

Leather Clothing 300 10 0 #2

Leather Plate 500 18 0 #3

Ringmail 900 24 0 #4

Mythril Vest 1500 30 0 #5

Adamant Vest 1600 36 0 #6

Wizard Clothing 1900 42 15 #7

Brigandine 2500 50 0 #9

Jujitsu Gi 4000 60 0 #11 Physical Atk+1; Immune: KO

Power Garb 7000 70 0 #12 Physical Atk+2

Gaia Gear 10000 85 10 #14 Absorbs: Earth; Boosts: Earth

Black Garb 12000 100 0 #15 Immune: Stop

Ninja Gear 10 20 0 -- Speed+2; Always: Invisible

Mirage Vest 10 120 0 -- Speed+1;

Immune: Stone, Poison, Sleep

Minerva Bustier # 10 120 0 -- Only equippable by women (but can

be used by women in ANY job);

Immune: Fire, Lightning, Wind,

Darkness; Halves: Ice, Water,

Earth, Holy

Rubber Suit 48000 150 50 -- Immune: Lightning

Brave Suit # 10 160 40 -- Always: Reraise, Regen



Like Chantage, the Brave Suit allows for an infinite number of Reraises per

battle.



---Robes-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By:

Regular Jobs : Knight, White Mage, Black Mage, Time Mage, Summoner, Orator,

Mystic, Geomancer, Dragoon, Samurai, Arithmetician,

Dark Knight, Onion Knight

Special Jobs : Squire [Ramza], Squire [Delita], Fell Knight, Holy Knight,

Princess, Cleric, Game Hunter, Skyseer, Netherseer, Templar,

Sky Pirate, Sword Saint, Divine Knight, Ark Knight

With Ability : none



PRICE HP MP SHOP SPECIAL

Hempen Robe 1200 10 10 #3

Silken Robe 2400 20 16 #4

Wizard's Robe 4000 30 22 #7 Magick Atk+2

Chameleon Robe 5000 40 28 #11 Immune: KO; Absorbs: Holy

White Robe 9000 50 34 #12 Halves: Fire, Lightning, Ice

Black Robe 13000 60 30 #13 Boosts: Fire, Lightning, Ice

Luminous Robe 30000 75 50 #15

Lordly Robe 10 100 80 -- Physical Atk+2, Magick Atk+1;

Always: Protect, Shell

Sage's Robe # 10 120 100 -- Halves: All elemental damage



%%%ACCESSORIES%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00acc



Accessories provide a number of beneficial effects, such as increased stats,

permanent buffs, or immunity to certain status changes.



---Shoes-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: All except Mime and Dragonkin



PRICE SHOP EFFECT

Battle Boots 1000 #2 Move+1

Spiked Boots 1200 #5 Jump+1

Rubber Boots 1500 #7 Immune: Immobilize, Lightning

Winged Boots 2500 #10 Always: Float

Germinas Boots 5000 #11 Move+1, Jump+1

Hermes Shoes 7000 #13 Speed+1

Red Shoes 10000 #15 Magick Atk+1, Move+1

Gaius Caligae # 10 -- Move+2



---Gauntlets-------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: All except Mime and Dragonkin



PRICE SHOP EFFECT

Power Gauntlet 5000 #6 Physical Atk+1

Magepower Glove 20000 #10 Magick Atk+2

Bracer 50000 #13 Physical Atk+3

Genji Glove # 10 -- Physical Atk+2, Magick Atk+2

Brigand's Gloves # 10 -- Speed+1; Always: Haste

Onion Gloves # 10 -- Only equippable by Onion Knights; Immune: All

negative status except Chicken, Oil,

Atheist, and Faith



---Rings-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: All except Mime



PRICE SHOP EFFECT

Protect Ring 5000 #7 Immune: Sleep, Doom

Magick Ring 10000 #12 Immune: Silence, Berserk

Reflect Ring 10000 #10 Always: Reflect

Angel Ring 20000 #14 Immune: KO, Blind; Always: Reraise

Cursed Ring 10 -- Physical Atk+1, Magick Atk+1, Speed+1;

Always: Undead; Immune: Traitor

Sage's Ring # 10 -- Absorbs: All 8 elements;

Boosts: All 8 elements



Note: The Angel Ring always starts you with a Reraise, but, unlike the

Chantage, it only gives you one Reraise per battle. If you're KOed a second

time, you won't Reraise.



---Armlets---------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: All except Mime



PRICE SHOP EFFECT

Diamond Bracelet 5000 #9 Physical Atk+1, Magick Atk+1; Immune: Slow

Guardian Bracelet 7000 #7 Immune: Immobilize, Disable

Nu Khai Armband 10000 #10 Immune: Confuse, Charm; Halves: Dark

Jade Armlet 10000 #11 Immune: Stone, Stop

Japa Mala 15000 #12 Immune: Undead, Vampire, Toad, Poison;

Boosts: All 8 elements

Empyreal Armband # 10 -- Speed+1; Immune: Slow, Stop, Immobilize



---Cloaks----------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: All except Mime and Dragonkin



PRICE PHYS MAG SHOP SPECIAL

Shoulder Cape 300 10% 10% #3

Leather Cloak 800 15% 15% #5

Mage's Cloak 2000 18% 18% #7 Magick Atk+1

Elven Cloak 8000 25% 25% #11

Vampire Cape 15000 28% 28% #13

Featherweave Cloak 20000 40% 30% #15

Invisibility Cloak 10 35% 0% -- Always: Invisible



Note that cloaks, unlike shields, ARE effective against attacks from the rear

(and from all other directions too, of course).



---Perfumes--------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Women, Onion Knights (of either gender)



PRICE SHOP EFFECT

Cherche 30000 -- Always: Float, Reflect

Sortile'ge 30000 -- Always: Protect, Shell

Chantage 60000 -- Always: Reraise, Regen

Septie`me 30000 -- Magick Atk+1; Always: Haste, Invisible



(Chantage rocks, the Reraise never disappears so you can just keep coming back

to life an infinite number of times!)



---Lip Rouge-------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Women, Onion Knights (of either gender)



PRICE SHOP EFFECT

Tynar Rouge 10 -- Phys Atk+3; Mag Atk+3; Boosts: Holy;

Always: Protect, Shell, Haste



%%%ITEMS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00item



Certain inventory items are needed for particular Action Abilities.



---Potions---------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Chemist (Items)



PRICE SHOP EFFECT

Potion 50 #1 Restores 30 HP

Antidote 50 #1 Removes: Poison

Eye Drops 50 #1 Removes: Blind

Echo Herbs 50 #2 Removes: Silence

Maiden's Kiss 50 #2 Removes: Toad

Golden Needle 100 #2 Removes: Stone

Hi-Potion 200 #3 Removes: 70 HP

Ether 200 #7 Removes: 20 MP

Phoenix Down 300 #1 Removes: KO, restores minimal HP

Remedy 350 #7 Removes: Stone, Blind, Confuse, Silence, Oil,

Toad, Poison, Sleep

Hi-Ether 600 #12 Restores 50 MP

X-Potion 700 #10 Restores 150 HP

Holy Water 2000 #5 Removes: Undead, Vampire

Elixir 10 -- Restores HP and MP completely



---Bombs-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Ninja (Throw)



PRICE ATK SHOP SPECIAL

Flameburst Bomb 250 8 #7 Fire elemental

Snowmelt Bomb 250 8 #7 Ice elemental

Spark Bomb 250 8 #7 Lightning elemental



---Stars-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Used By: Ninja (Throw)



PRICE ATK SHOP SPECIAL

Shuriken 50 4 #5

Fuma Shuriken 300 7 #11

Yagyu Darkrood 1000 10 #14



*******************************************************************************

XI. FINDING ITEMS

*******************************************************************************



%%%POACHED ITEMS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00poach



--List of Poached Items--------------------------------------------------------



Each monster can give you one of two items when you poach it. There's one you

get most of the time (the common one), and one (the rare one) you only get

occasionally -- about 15% of the time or so.



A place where the monster is commonly found has also been listed. Most

monsters show up in many locations, but there are certain locations where they

show up the most frequently. (Areas marked MD: are floors of Midlight's Deep,

the bonus dungeon.)



Note that poached items only cost half their usual retail price!



In the list below:

* indicates an item that can't be bought in regular stores -- but can also be

found other ways besides poaching

** indicates an item that can ONLY be found by poaching.



COMMON RARE COMMONLY FOUND

Ahriman Fuma Shuriken Air Knife Mount Bervenia

Behemoth Guardian Bracelet Pantherskin Bag MD: The Switchback

Behemoth King ** Cherche * Artemis Bow MD: The Switchback

Black Chocobo Eye Drops X-Potion Balias Swale

Black Goblin Hi-Potion Shoulder Cape The Siedge Weald

Blue Dragon Cashmere * Dragon Rod MD: The Switchback

Bomb Fire Ball Flame Rod The Siedge Weald

Bonesnatch Hi-Potion Partisan Tchigolith Fenlands

Chocobo Phoenix Down Hi-Potion Mandalia Plain

Cockatrice Gold Needle Featherweave Cloak MD: The Interstice

Coeurl Gold Needle Germinas Boots Mount Germinas

Dark Behemoth Wizard's Rod * Stoneshooter MD: The Switchback

Dragon Jade Armlet Hydrascale Bag MD: The Switchback

Dryad Eye Drops * Healing Staff MD: The Switchback

Elder Treant Protect Ring * Defender MD: The Oubliette

Exploder Spark Bomb Fire Shield Lake Poescas

Floating Eye Shuriken Platinum Dagger Lenalian Plateau

Ghast Snowmelt Bomb Main Gauche Araguay Woods

Ghoul Ether Kunai Araguay Woods

Gobbledygook Mage Masher Ancient Sword MD: The Oubliette

Goblin Potion Hi-Potion Mandalia Plain

Greater Hydra ** Septie`me ** Rubber Suit MD: The Switchback

Greater Malboro Elixir * Omnilex MD: The Catacombs

Grenade Hi-Potion Snowmelt Bomb Lake Poescas

Hydra * Blood Sword * Scorpion Tail MD: The Switchback

Jura Aevis Potion Rubber Boots Zeklaus Desert

Malboro Platinum Dagger Ice Shield Dorvauldar Marsh

Mindflayer Hi-Ether Vampire Cape Zeirchele Falls

Minotaur Coral Sword Slasher Balias Tor

Ochu Nu Khai Armband Chameleon Robe MD: The Catacombs

Pig Maiden's Kiss * Cachusha MD: Terminus

Piscodaemon Echo Grass Hi-Potion Zeirchele Falls

Plague Horror Yagyu Darkrood * Zwill Straightblade Mount Bervenia

Red Chocobo Remedy * Barette Finnath Creek

Red Dragon * Sortile'ge * Dragon Whisker Beddha Sandwaste

Red Panther Antidote Battle Boots Mandalia Plain

Revenant Hi-Ether Mythril Gun Lake Poescas

Sekhret * Holy Lance * Ivory Pole Zeklaus Desert

Skeletal Fiend Mage's Cloak Elven Cloak Zeklaus Desert

Skeleton Holy Water Ether Tchigolith Fenlands

Squidraken Shoulder Cape Sleep Blade Zeirchele Falls

Steelhawk Phoenix Down Hunting Bow Zeklaus Desert

Swine * Chantage * Nagnarok MD: Terminus

Tiamat ** Wyrmweave Silk * Whale Whisker MD: Terminus

Treant Golden Staff * Faerie Harp MD: The Switchback

Vampire Cat Holy Water Croakadile Bag MD: The Palings

Wild Boar ** Ribbon ** Fallingstar Bag Breeding only!

Wisenkin Battle Axe Giant's Axe Balias Tor



---Tips on Poaching------------------------------------------------------------



If you're trying to get a particular poachable item, it's pretty time-consuming

to keep tracking down the monster in the wild and poaching it until you get the

item you want. Instead, use Entice or Tame to recruit the monster to your

team. Then, after you've saved, get into a new battle. Deploy the monster,

have another character poach it, and finish the fight. Check the Poachers' Den

and if you didn't get the item you were looking for, you can simply reload from

your save and try poaching the same monster again.



If you've got some spare spaces on your roster, you can also breed multiple

copies of the monster. Just walk between two blue dots on the map and the

monster will keep producing eggs. Dismiss the monsters you don't want to poach

and poach the ones you do. (You can also use the "Preview Monster Eggs" trick

described under Various Tricks to try to get rid of eggs you don't want,

either.) Always keep one copy of the monster in your roster without poaching

it and you'll have no problem breeding further copies. Items that can be

particularly useful to "farm" in this way include the hair adornments,

perfumes, and Rubber Suit.



Breeding monsters is also a helpful way to obtain harder-to-find monsters like

Sekhret and the Greater Malboro, and the *only* way to get the Wild Boar. You

can breed Rank III monsters from a Rank II monster of the same family (e.g. a

Minotaur, Malboro, or Wild Boar) or from another copy of the Rank III monster.

Rank I monsters don't breed Rank III monsters, but you can first breed a Rank

II monster and use that to breed a Rank III.



You have the best odds of breeding the Rank III monsters from another copy of

the Rank III monster and not a Rank II, so once you get the Rank III monster,

hang on to one copy for breeding purposes.



%%%SHOP CHART%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00shop



---Where to Buy Items----------------------------------------------------------



The Outfitters in towns differ in the types of items and equipment they sell.

For example, one town will have Knives but not Crossbows; another will sell

Crossbows but not Knives.



There are actually only six different "catalogs" of item types available. The

Magick City of Gariland, Clockwork City of Goug, and Royal Capital of Lesalia

have unique catalogs. All the other towns can be divided into three types:



TRADE CITY:

Merchant City of Dorter

Port City of Warjilis

Trade City of Sal Ghidos



CASTLE:

Eagrose Castle

Lionel Castle

Riovanes Castle

Zeltennia Castle

Limberry Castle



TOWN:

Castled City of Zaland

Mining Town of Gollund

Walled City of Yardrow

Free City of Bervenia





The items available at each town type are:



TRADE CITY CASTLE TOWN GARILAND* GOUG LESALIA

Knives X X X X

Ninja Blades X

Swords* X X

Katanas X

Axes X

Rods X X X X

Staves X X X

Flails X X

Guns X

Crossbows X X

Bows X X

Instruments X

Books X

Polearms X X

Poles X X X

Bags X X X

Cloths X

Shields X X X



TRADE CITY CASTLE TOWN GARILAND GOUG LESALIA

Helms X X

Hats X X X



TRADE CITY CASTLE TOWN GARILAND GOUG LESALIA

Armor X X

Clothes X X X

Robes X X X



TRADE CITY CASTLE TOWN GARILAND GOUG LESALIA

Accessories X X X X X X



TRADE CITY CASTLE TOWN GARILAND GOUG LESALIA

Shuriken X X

Bombs X X X X

Items X X X X X X



Note: Knight's Swords, Hair Adornments, Perfumes, and Lip Rouge are never

available in stores.



* Note 2: In addition to the item types listed above, Gariland also sells the

Broadsword, but no other types of swords.



---When to Buy Items-----------------------------------------------------------



Within a particular category, the specific items that are available is

determined by how far in the story you've progressed. Reaching certain points

of the game adds new items to the stores. Once a new item appears in a shop,

it is always for sale and never goes away.



Note, however, that even after an item is "unlocked," it does not appear in

every shop. Instead, shops in different towns sell different types of items.

See the list above to see which shops sell which categories of items.



Some items NEVER become available in shops and can only be obtained by

stealing, poaching, the Treasure Hunter ability, or through the multiplayer

missions.



--#1: CHAPTER I - BEGINNING OF GAME--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

KNIFE: Dagger 100

SWORD: Broadsword 200

ROD: Rod 200

STAFF: Oak Staff 120

HAT: Leather Cap 150

CLOTHES: Clothing 150

ITEM: Potion 50

ITEM: Antidote 50

ITEM: Eye Drops 50

ITEM: Phoenix Down 300



--#2: CHAPTER I - AFTER REACHING EAGROSE CASTLE--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

KNIFE: Mythril Knife 500

SWORD: Longsword 500

CROSSBOW: Bowgun 400

SHIELD: Escutcheon 400

HELM: Leather Helm 200

HELM: Bronze Helm 500

HAT: Plumed Hat 350

ARMOR: Leather Armor 200

ARMOR: Linen Cuirass 600

CLOTHES: Leather Clothing 300

ACCESSORY: Battle Boots 1000

ITEM: Echo Herbs 50

ITEM: Maiden's Kiss 50

ITEM: Gold Needle 100



--#3: CHAPTER I - AFTER SAND RAT'S SIEVE--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

KNIFE: Blind Knife 800

SWORD: Iron Sword 900

ROD: Flame Rod 400

ROD: Ice Rod 400

ROD: Thunder Rod 400

STAFF: White Staff 800

BOW: Long Bow 800

SHIELD: Buckler 700

HELM: Iron Helm 1000

HAT: Red Hood 800

ARMOR: Bronze Armor 800

CLOTHES: Leather Plate 500

ROBE: Hempen Robe 1200

ACCESSORY: Shoulder Cape 300

ITEM: Hi-Potion 200



--#4: CHAPTER I - AFTER DEFEATING MILLEUDA AT LENALIAN PLATEAU--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

KNIFE: Mage Masher 1500

SWORD: Mythril Sword 1600

AXE: Battle Axe 1500

CROSSBOW: Knightslayer 1500

BOW: Silver Bow 1500

SHIELD: Bronze Shield 1200

ARMOR: Chainmail 1300

CLOTHES: Ringmail 900

ROBE: Silken Robe 2400



--#5: CHAPTER II - BEGINNING OF CHAPTER--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

BOW: Ice Bow 2000

POLEARM: Javelin 1000

SHIELD: Round Shield 1600

HELM: Barbut 1500

HAT: Headgear 1200

ARMOR: Mythril Armor 2000

CLOTHES: Mythril Vest 1500

ACCESSORY: Spiked Boots 1200

ACCESSORY: Leather Cloak 800

ITEM: Holy Water 2000

STAR: Shuriken 50



--#6: CHAPTER II - AFTER OVELIA AND AGRIAS JOIN AS GUESTS--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

KNIFE: Platinum Dagger 1800

SWORD: Coral Sword 3300

ROD: Poison Rod 500

STAFF: Serpent Staff 2200

POLE: Cypress Pole 1000

SHIELD: Mythril Shield 2500

HELM: Mythril Helm 2100

HAT: Wizard's Hat 1800

ARMOR: Plate Mail 3000

CLOTHES: Adamant Vest 1600

ACCESSORY: Power Gauntlet 5000



--#7: CHAPTER II - AFTER REACHING LIONEL CASTLE--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

KATANA: Kotetsu 1600

KATANA: Ashura 3000

AXE: Giant's Axe 4000

CROSSBOW: Crossbow 2000

BOW: Lightning Bow 3000

INSTRUMENT: Lamia's Harp 5000

BOOK: Battle Folio 3000

POLEARM: Spear 2000

POLE: Battle Bamboo 1400

SHIELD: Golden Shield 3500

HELM: Golden Helm 2800

HAT: Green Beret 3000

ARMOR: Golden Armor 3600

CLOTHES: Wizard Clothing 1900

ROBE: Wizard's Robe 4000

ACCESSORY: Rubber Boots 1500

ACCESSORY: Protect Ring 5000

ACCESSORY: Guardian Bracelet 7000

ACCESSORY: Mage's Cloak 2000

ITEM: Ether 200

ITEM: Remedy 350

BOMB: Flameburst Bomb 250

BOMB: Snowmelt Bomb 250

BOMB: Spark Bomb 250



--#8: CHAPTER II - AFTER REACHING GOUG--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

GUN: Romandan Pistol 5000



--#9: CHAPTER II - AFTER RESCUING AGRIAS AT BALIAS TOR--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

KATANA: Osafune 5000

STAFF: Mage's Staff 4000

FLAIL: Iron Flail 1200

CLOTHES: Brigandine 2500

ACCESSORY: Diamond Bracelet 5000



--#10: CHAPTER III - BEGINNING OF CHAPTER--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

NINJA BLADE: Ninja Blade 3000

SWORD: Ancient Sword 5000

KATANA: Murasame 7000

CROSSBOW: Poison Bow 4000

BOW: Mythril Bow 5000

POLEARM: Mythril Spear 4500

POLE: Musk Pole 2400

BAG: Croakadile Bag 53000

SHIELD: Ice Shield 6000

SHIELD: Flame Shield 6500

HELM: Close Helmet 4000

HAT: Headband 5000

ACCESSORY: Winged Boots 2500

ACCESSORY: Magepower Glove 20000

ACCESSORY: Reflect Ring 10000

ACCESSORY: Nu Khai Armband 10000

ITEM: X-Potion 700



--#11: CHAPTER III - AFTER ALMA JOINS AS GUEST--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

KNIFE: Main Gauche 3000

NINJA BLADE: Kunai 5000

SWORD: Sleep Blade 5000

KATANA: Ama-no-Murakumo 8000

AXE: Slasher 12000

FLAIL: Flame Mace 4000

GUN: Mythril Gun 15000

BOOK: Bestiary 6000

POLE: Iron Fan 4000

CLOTH: Damask Cloth 7000

SHIELD: Aegis Shield 10000

HELM: Diamond Helm 6000

HAT: Celebrant's Miter 6000

ARMOR: Diamond Armor 6000

CLOTHES: Jujitsu Gi 4000

ROBE: Chameleon Robe 5000

ACCESSORY: Germinas Boots 5000

ACCESSORY: Jade Armlet 10000

ACCESSORY: Elven Cloak 8000

STAR: Fuma Shuriken 300



--#12: CHAPTER III - AFTER BATTLES AT ORBONNE MONASTERY--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

KNIFE: Orichalcum Dirk 4000

NINJA BLADE: Kodachi 7000

SWORD: Diamond Sword 8000

ROD: Wizard's Rod 8000

STAFF: Golden Staff 7000

CROSSBOW: Hunting Bow 8000

BOW: Windslash Bow 8000

INSTRUMENT: Bloodstring Harp 10000

BOOK: Papyrus Codex 10000

POLE: Gokuu Pole 7500

POLEARM: Partisan 7000

BAG: Pantherskin Bag 52000

SHIELD: Diamond Shield 12000

HAT: Black Cowl 7000

CLOTHES: Power Garb 7000

ROBE: White Robe 9000

ACCESSORY: Magick Ring 10000

ACCESSORY: Japa Mala 15000

ITEM: Hi-Ether 600



--#13: CHAPTER III - AFTER RAPHA JOINS AS GUEST--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

KNIFE: Assassin's Dagger 5000

NINJA BLADE: Ninja Longblade 10000

SWORD: Platinum Sword 11000

KATANA: Kiyomori 10000

FLAIL: Morning Star 9000

CLOTH: Cashmere 15000

HELM: Platinum Helm 8000

HELM: Circlet 10000

HAT: Gold Hairpin 12000

ARMOR: Platinum Armor 9000

ROBE: Black Robe 13000

ACCESSORY: Hermes Shoes 7000

ACCESSORY: Bracer 50000

ACCESSORY: Vampire Cape 15000



--#14: CHAPTER IV - BEGINNING OF CHAPTER--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

NINJA BLADE: Spellbinder 16000

SWORD: Icebrand 14000

KATANA: Muramasa 15000

SHIELD: Platinum Shield 16000

ARMOR: Carabineer Mail 13000

CLOTHES: Gaia Gear 10000

ACCESSORY: Angel Ring 20000

STAR: Yagyu Darkrood 1000



--#15: CHAPTER IV - AFTER FORT BESSELAT--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

KNIFE: Air Knife 8000

SWORD: Runeblade 20000

KATANA: Kiku-ichimonji 22000

CROSSBOW: Gastrophetes 20000

POLEARM: Obelisk 10000

POLE: Eight-fluted Pole 20000

BAG: Hydrascale Bag 58000

SHIELD: Crystal Shield 21000

HELM: Crystal Helm 14000

HAT: Lambent Hat 16000

ARMOR: Crystal Mail 19000

ARMOR: Mirror Mail 18000

CLOTHES: Black Garb 12000

ROBE: Luminous Robe 30000

ACCESSORY: Red Shoes 10000

ACCESSORY: Featherweave Cloak 20000



--#16: CHAPTER IV - AFTER BATTLES AT LIMBERRY CASTLE--

ITEM TYPE ITEM PRICE

HAT: Thief's Cap 35000



%%%RARE ITEM LOCATIONS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00rare



This is a list of where you can find all the items that are Not Sold In Stores

but are otherwise available in the SINGLE-PLAYER game. Additional rare items

are available in the multiplayer mode -- I hope to add these to a future

version of the FAQ. (There may be other places to find some of these items --

please let me know if you know of any!)



I've also indicated whether or not there is a limited supply of each item.

For some rare items, there is only a limited number of them available in the

game, so if you miss the items, or if they get broken or stolen during battle,

you may not be able to find any more!



CAUTION: ALL rare items found with Treasure Hunter are better found with a low

Bravery. The higher your Bravery, the higher you'll get a crummy generic item

instead of the rare item. (The chance of getting the "bad" item is simply

equal to your Bravery.) If you pick up the bad item from a tile, note that you

can no longer get the good item there! The exception is the Materia Blade,

which you always get regardless of your Bravery.



MANY rare weapons can be caught from enemy Ninjas throwing them at you. To do

this, equip the reaction ability Sticky Fingers (Thief); when a Ninja throws

the item at you, you'll catch it and it will be added to your inventory. Rare

items are only thrown if the enemy Ninja has a very high level (90+); you can

find high-level Ninjas on the Midlight's Deep floor 9, The Interstice.



Items not listed here can be bought in shops. See the Shops List above for

when they become available. There is an unlimited supply of all shop items.



Since many rare items can be poached from monsters, stolen in random battles,

or caught with Sticky Fingers, there are actually not that many truly missable

items in the game. The items listed below are the only ones that (to my

knowledge) are actually missable:



WEAPONS: Rod of Faith, Zeus Mace, Staff of the Magi, Ras Algethi, Perseus Bow

SHIELDS: Kaiser Shield, Venetian Shield, Escutcheon (II)

HEADGEAR: Grand Helm

ARMOR: Genji Armor, Maximillian, Ninja Gear, Mirage Vest, Lordly Robe

ACCESSORIES: Invisibility Cloak, Cursed Ring, Tynar Rouge

ABILITIES: Ultima, Zodiark



---Weapons---------------------------------------------------------------------



Zwill Crossblade [knife]:

- Rare poach from Plague Horror. Plague Horrors are frequently found at

Mount Bervenia.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, poachable.



Sasuke's Blade [ninja blade]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter at Nelveska Temple. Sasuke's Blade is located

BEHIND the temple, in the grassy/dirt area. From the back left corner of

the map, it's one tile to the right and one tile towards the temple -- it's

a tile with height 4. (See the Nelveksa Temple battle strategy under

Subquest Battle Strategies for more specific details.) This can only be done

during the battle with Construct 7 here in the Nelveska Temple subquest, as

there are no later battles at the Temple.

- Steal from the enemy Ninja during the battle in the Disorder in the Order

subquest.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see top of section).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be caught with Sticky Fingers.



Iga Blade [ninja blade]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 5, The Oubliette.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see top of section).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be caught with Sticky Fingers.



Koga Blade [ninja blade]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 7, The Crossing.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see above).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be caught with Sticky Fingers.



Nagnarok [sword]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter at Nelveska Temple. It's inside the temple, in

the little nook where Construct 7 starts, at the far back of the nook. (See

the Nelveksa Temple battle strategy under Subquest Battle Strategies for

more specific details.) This can only be done during the battle with

Construct 7 here in the Nelveska Temple subquest, as there are no later

battles at the Temple.

- Rare poach from Swine. Swines appear in random battles on Midlight's Deep

floor 10, Terminus. Alternately, recruit a Pig earlier in the game during

Gollund Collier Battle 2 or the story battle at Finnath Creek and wait for it

to breed a Swine.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, poachable.



Blood Sword [sword]:

- Steal from Gaffgarion at Story Battle 18: Golgollada Gallows.

- Found using Treasure Hunter during Story Battle 49: Eagrose Castle Keep.

(See battle strategy for exact location.)

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 2, The Stair.

- Common poach from Hydra.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, poachable.



Materia Blade [sword]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on the highest tile at Mount Bervenia. Unlike

other Treasure Hunter items, you ALWAYS get this one regardless of Bravery.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy ninjas (see above).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be caught with Sticky Fingers.



Defender [knight's sword]:

- Steal from enemy boss in Story Battle 36: Bervenia.

- Steal from enemy boss during the first phase of Story Battle 49: Eagrose

Castle Keep. (NOT available during the second phase of the battle.)

- Rare poach from Elder Treant. These sometimes appear on Midlight's Deep

floors 5 (The Oubliette) or 8 (The Switchback).

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy ninjas (see above).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, poachable and can be caught with Sticky Fingers.



Save the Queen [knight's sword]:

- Meliadoul's initial equipment.

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 2, The Stair.

- Steal from enemy boss in story battle 54: Monastery Vaults - Fifth Level, but

this is past the point of no return to the world map.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see top of section).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be caught with Sticky Fingers.



Excalibur [knight's sword]:

- Orlandeau's initial equipment.

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 5, The Oubliette.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see top of section).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be caught with Sticky Fingers.



Ragnarok [knight's sword]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 8, The Switchback.

- Received as a Battle Trophy for completing Story Battle 57: Graveyard of

Airships, but this is past the point of no return to the world map.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see top of section).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be caught with Sticky Fingers.



Chaos Blade [knight's sword]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 10, Terminus.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see top of section).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be caught with Sticky Fingers.



Masamune [katana]:

- Stolen from one of the enemy Samurai during the second battle of the

Lionel's New Liege Lord subquest (Lionel Castle Oratory). It is only

available during the first phase of this battle, before you KO the boss.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see top of section).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be caught with Sticky Fingers.



Chirijiraden [katana]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 10, Terminus.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see top of section).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be caught with Sticky Fingers.



Dragon Rod [rod]:

- Steal from enemy boss during Story Battle 48: Dorter.

- Stolen from (or dropped in a chest by) enemy Summoner during Story Battle 50:

Mullonde Cathedral.

- Rare poach from Blue Dragon.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, poachable.



Rod of Faith [rod]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 4, The Catacombs.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



Healing Staff [staff]:

- Alma's initial equipment in Chapter III; de-equip it from her before entering

Orbonne Monastery to keep it.

- Found using Treasure Hunter during the Chapter IV battle at Eagrose Castle;

it's sitting on one of the two height=10 "nubs" next to the bridge. Of the

two nubs, it's the one further from where you start. You'll have to climb up

all the stairs to reach it.

- Rare poach from Dryad.

- Equipped by the guest in the last battle, but you can't de-equip it and

this is past the point of no return to the world map anyway.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, poachable.



Zeus Mace [staff]:

- Received as a Battle Trophy for completing the second battle of the Lionel's

New Liege Lord quest (Lionel Castle Oratory). Note that you CANNOT start

this quest if Mustadio, Beowulf, or Reis is killed or departs the team and/or

if you choose not to buy the flower from Aerith when you first arrive in Sal

Ghidos.

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 3, The Hollow.

- Steal from enemy boss at story battle 55: Necrohol of Mullonde, but this is

past the point of no return to the world map.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



Staff of the Magi [staff]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Floor floor 7, The Crossing.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



Scorpion Tail [flail]:

- Rare poach from Hydra.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see top of section).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, poachable and can be caught with Sticky Fingers.



Ras Algethi [gun]:

- Balthier's initial equipment. Complete the Recruiting Balthier subquest

after visiting the Free City of Bervenia in Chapter IV to get him.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



Glacial Gun [gun]:

- Stolen from enemy boss in Story Battle 39: Beddha Sandwaste.

- Steal (or dropped in a chest by) the enemy Chemist in Gollund Colliery

subquest battle 2: Gollund Colliery Slope.

- Stolen from one of the enemy Squires during the battle in the Disorder in

the Order subquest.

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 1, The Crevasse.

- Stolen from (or dropped in chests by) enemy Chemists in random battles at

Mount Germinas.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can always be stolen/dropped in random battles.



Blaze Gun [gun]:

- Stolen from one of the enemy Squires during the battle in the Disorder in

the Order subquest.

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 1, The Crevasse.

- Stolen from (or dropped in chests by) enemy Chemists in random battles at

Mount Germinas.

- Stolen from enemy Chemist in Story Battle 56: Lost Halidom, but this is past

the point of no return to the world map.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can always be stolen/dropped in random battles.



Blaster [gun]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 6, The Palings.

- Stolen from (or dropped in chests by) enemy Chemists in random battles at

Mount Germinas.

- Stolen from enemy boss in Story Battle 56: Lost Halidom, but this is past

the point of no return to the world map.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can always be stolen/dropped in random battles.



Stoneshooter [gun]:

- Steal from (or dropped in chests by) enemy Chemists during random battles at

Mount Germinas. You can tell if the Chemist is carrying the gun because

he/she will begin the battle turned to stone. Use a Gold Needle, Remedy, or

other ability to cure the petrification, then steal the gun. (See "The

Stoneshooter" under Various Tricks for more info.)

- Rare poach from Dark Behemoth.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached, and stolen/dropped in random battles.



Artemis Bow [bow]:

- Stolen from (or dropped in chest by) one of the enemy Archers in Story Battle

42: Mount Germinas.

- Stolen from (or dropped in chests by) either enemy Archer in Story Battle 43:

Lake Poescas.

- Stolen from (or dropped in chests by) enemy Archers in random battles later

in Chapter IV and in Midlight's Deep.

- Stolen from (or dropped in chests by) enemy Archers in the first battle of

the Lionel's New Liege Lord subquest, Lionel Castle Gate.

- Rare poach from Behemoth King.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached, and stolen/dropped in random battles.



Yoichi Bow [bow]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 3, The Hollow.

- Stolen from (or dropped in chests by) by high-level enemy Archers in random

Midlight's Deep encounters.

- Stolen from (or dropped in chest by) the Archer in story battle Battle 53:

Monaster Vaults - Fourth Level, but this is past the point of no return to

the world map.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be stolen/dropped in random battles.



Perseus Bow [bow]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 8, The Switchback.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



Faerie Harp [instrument]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 4, The Catacombs.

- Rare poach from Treant.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached.



Omnilex [book]:

- Rare poach from Greater Malboro. Greater Malboros are pretty uncommon, but

you can find them on Midlight's Deep floor 4, The Catacombs, or by recruiting

a weaker malboro and having it breed.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see top of section).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached or caught with Sticky Fingers.



Holy Lance [polearm]:

- Common poach from Sekhret. Sekhret shows up at Zeklaus Desert and sometimes

on Midlight's Deep floor 7, The Crossing, but is pretty rare. You can also

get a Minotaur on your team and wait for it to breed a Sekhret.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see top of section).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached or caught with Sticky Fingers.



Dragon Whisker [polearm]:

- Rare poach from Red Dragon.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see top of section).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached or caught with Sticky Fingers.



Javelin (II) [polearm]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter atop the right pillar during the Nelveksa Temple.

You need to use Construct 8, Reis, or another large monster as a stepping-

stone to climb up on top of the pillar. This can only be done during the

battle with Construct 7 here in the Nelveska Temple subquest, as there are

no later battles at the Temple.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see top of section).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be caught with Sticky Fingers.



Ivory Pole [pole]:

- Rare poach from Sekhret. Sekhret shows up at Zeklaus Desert and sometimes on

Midlight's Deep floor 7, The Crossing, but is pretty rare. You can also

get a Minotaur on your team and wait for it to breed a Sekhret.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see top of section).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached or caught with Sticky Fingers.



Whale Whisker [pole]:

- Rare poach from Tiamat. Tiamats are best found on the last floor of

Midlight's Deep, Terminus, in random battles after you defeat the boss there.

- Catch with Sticky Fingers from enemy Ninjas (see top of section).

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached or caught with Sticky Fingers.



Fallingstar Bag [bag]:

- Rare poach from Wild Boar. Wild Boars NEVER appear in the wild. The only

way to find one is to breed them from a Swine. Use Entice or Tame to recruit

a Pig or Swine during Gollund Colliery battle 2, the story battle at Finnath

Creek, or in random battles on Midlight's Deep floor 10, Terminus. Then,

move around the map and let your Swine produce eggs until one of them hatches

into a Wild Boar. Good luck :P (A Pig does not directly produce Wild Boars,

but it can give you a Swine, which can in turn give you the boar.)

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached.



Wyrmweave Silk [cloth]:

- Common poach from Tiamat. Tiamats are best found on the last floor of

Midlight's Deep, Terminus, in random battles after you defeat the boss there.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached.



---Shields---------------------------------------------------------------------



Kaiser Shield:

- Steal from one of the enemy Knights during the battle in the Disorder in the

Order subquest.

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 4, The Catacombs.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



Venetian Shield:

- Steal from one of the enemy Knights during the battle in the Disorder in the

Order subquest.

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 9, The Interstice.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



Escutcheon (II):

- Found using Treasure Hunter atop the right pillar during the Nelveksa Temple.

You need to use Construct 8, Reis, or another large monster as a stepping-

stone to climb up on top of the pillar. You must get it during the battle

with Construct 7 here in the Nelveska Temple subquest, as there are no later

battles at the Temple. This is the ONLY place to find this shield in the

game!

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



---Headgear--------------------------------------------------------------------



Grand Helm [helm]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 9, The Interstice.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



Cachusha [hair adornment]:

- Steal from Celia in Story Battle 34: Riovanes Castle Roof.

- Steal from the enemy Mystic on the boss's right in the second battle of the

Lionel's New Liege Lord subquest, Lionel Castle Oratory. (Only available

during the first phase of this battle, before you KO the boss.)

- Rare poach from Pig. You can find Pigs in the story battle at Finnath Creek,

in the second battle of the Gollund Colliery subquest, or in random battles

on Midlight's Deep floor 10, Terminus.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached.



Barette [hair adornment]:

- Alma's initial equipment in Chapter III; de-equip it from her before entering

Orbonne Monastery to keep it.

- Steal from Lettie in Story Battle 34: Riovanes Castle Roof.

- Steal from the enemy Mystic on the boss's left in the second battle of the

Lionel's New Liege Lord subquest, Lionel Castle Oratory. (Only available

during the first phase of this battle, before you KO the boss.)

- Rare poach from Red Chocobo.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached.



Ribbon [hair adornment]:

- Rare poach from Wild Boar. Wild Boars NEVER appear in the wild. The only

way to find one is to breed them from a Swine. Use Entice or Tame to recruit

a Pig or Swine during Gollund Colliery battle 2, the story battle at Finnath

Creek, or in random battles on Midlight's Deep floor 10, Terminus. Then,

move around the map and let your Swine produce eggs until one of them hatches

into a Wild Boar. Good luck :P (A Pig does not directly produce Wild Boars,

but it can give you a Swine, which can in turn give you the boar.)

- Equipped by the guest in the last battle, but you can't de-equip it and

this is past the point of no return to the world map anyway.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached.



---Armor-----------------------------------------------------------------------



Genji Armor [armor]:

- Received as a Battle Trophy from completing the first battle of the New

Liege Lord of Lionel Castle subquest, Lionel Castle Gate. Note that you

CANNOT start this quest if Mustadio, Beowulf, or Reis is killed or departs

the team and/or if you choose not to buy the flower from Aerith when you

first arrive in Sal Ghidos ... and, so, you would not be able to get the

armor in the single-player mode.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



Maximillian [armor]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 9, The Interstice.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



Ninja Gear [clothes]:

- Steal from one of the enemy Monks during the battle in the Disorder in the

Order subquest.

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 6, The Palings.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



Mirage Vest [clothes]:

- Balthier's initial equipment. Complete the Recruiting Balthier subquest

after visiting the Free City of Bervenia in Chapter IV to get him.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



Rubber Suit [clothes]:

- Rare poach from Greater Hydra. You can find Greater Hydras on the latter

floors of Midlight's Deep.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached.



Lordly Robe [robe]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 6, The Switchback.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



---Accessories-----------------------------------------------------------------



Invisibility Cloak [cloak]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter atop Mount Germinas, either in the initial story

battle there or in a subsequent random battle. See "The Invisibility Cloak"

under Various Tricks for its exact location.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



Cursed Ring [ring]:

- Found using Treasure Hunter on Midlight's Deep floor 6, The Switchback.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



Chantage [perfume]:

- Steal from enemy boss during Story Battle 36: Bervenia.

- Steal from the enemy Mystic on the boss's left in the second battle of the

Lionel's New Liege Lord subquest, Lionel Castle Oratory. (Only available

during the first phase of this battle, before you KO the boss.)

- Common poach from Swine. Swines appear in random battles on Midlight's Deep

floor 10, Terminus. Alternately, recruit a Pig earlier in the game during

Gollund Collier Battle 2 or the story battle at Finnath Creek and wait for it

to breed a Swine.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached.



Cherche [perfume]:

- Common poach from Behemoth King.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached.



Sortile'ge [perfume]:

- Received from Beowulf for completing the Lionel's New Liege Lord subquest.

- Steal from the enemy Mystic on the boss's right in the second battle of the

Lionel's New Liege Lord subquest, Lionel Castle Oratory. (Only available

during the first phase of this battle, before you KO the boss.)

- Common poach from Red Dragon.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached.



Septie`me [perfume]:

- Common poach from Greater Hydra. Greater Hydras can be found on the lower

levels of Midlight's Deep.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, can be poached.



Tynar Rouge [lip rouge]:

- Complete the Agrias's Birthday quest in Chapter IV. You must keep Mustadio,

Agrias, Alicia, and Lavian alive until Chapter IV to do this quest. See the

Agrias's Birthday section under Walkthrough - Subquests for complete details

on how to complete this event.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: Yes.



---Items-----------------------------------------------------------------------



Elixir [item]:

- Received as a Battle Trophy for completing Story Battle 52: Mullonde

Cathedral Sanctuary.

- Received using Treasure Hunter at Nelveska Temple, as the "bad" item in place

of the Nagnarok and Sasuke's Blade (i.e., if your Bravery is high).

- 14 found using Treasure Hunter at many locations in Midlight's Deep.

- Common poach from Greater Malboro. Greater Malboros are pretty uncommon, but

you can find them on Midlight's Deep floor 4, The Catacombs, or by recruiting

a weaker malboro and having it breed.

LIMITED SUPPLY?: No, poachable.



---Abilities-------------------------------------------------------------------



Ultima [Game Hunter/Squire (Ramza)]:

- Learned by having Celia or Lettie cast on Luso during Story Battle 34:

Riovanes Castle Roof; Luso must be in the Game Hunter job.

- Learned by having an enemy cast it on Ramza or Luso during Chapter IV; the

targeted character must be in the Game Hunter (Luso) or Squire (Ramza) job.

Enemies that cast Ultima include Celia and Lettie during Story Battles 44:

Limberry Castle Gate and 45: Limberry Castle Keep, and Ultima Demons during

Story Battle 45: Limberry Castle Keep, 46: Limberry Castle Inner Court, and

Story Battle 52: Mullonde Cathedral Sanctuary. See "Learning Ultima" under

Various Tricks for more information.

- Can also be learned as above from the Ultima Demons in the final battle, but

this is past the point of no return to the world map.

- Once Ramza or Luso has learned it, you can teach it to the other by casting

it on him when the target is in the Game Hunter (Luso) or Squire (Ramza) job.

MISSABLE?: Yes (in single-player mode), if no one has learned it by the time

you finish Story Battle 52.



Zodiark [Summoner]:

- Learned by having Elidibus cast it on a Summoner during the initial battle on

the tenth floor of Midlight's Deep (Terminus), if the Summoner survives.

Each time this happens, you have a high (but not 100%) chance of learning the

spell; you may need to have Elidibus cast it on you more than once if you

don't learn it the first time. Use Mana Shield to survive the spell, or see

the battle strategy for this battle for additional tips.

- Can be taught to other characters by first casting on an enemy Summoner, then

having the enemy Summoner cast it at the character whom you want to learn the

spell. Again, the target must be a Summoner when hit by the spell.

MISSABLE?: Yes, if you don't learn it during the battle with Elidibus.



%%%MISSABLE ITEMS AND EVENTS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00miss



This is a quick list of story events and unique items that you can "miss" over

the course of the game, and what you need to do to make sure you're able to

see every story events and collec every item. This is just a quick list of key

points; for a more detailed treatment, see the corresponding walkthrough

section.



Points marked ESSENTIAL *must* be completed to get an item or see an event.

Points marked GOOD IDEA are not strictly necessary, but will make the process

easier -- for example, stealing a rare item that otherwise can only be obtained

through poaching a hard-to-find enemy. Finally, I've pointed out some points

that seem like they might be needed but are actually NOT IMPORTANT, so that you

don't have to worry about them!



---CHAPTER I-------------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing in this chapter is missable, or affects your ability to complete

anything else later.



* GOOD IDEA: At the start of the battle at Mandalia Plains, you'll be given a

choice whether to help Argath or directly attack the enemy. Choose the first

option to make the battle easier and gain Bravery, since there aren't as many

ways to raise your Bravery early on. However, your choice here does not affect

anything else in Chapter I or later on.



---CHAPTER II------------------------------------------------------------------



* ESSENTIAL: At the very beginning of this chapter, you will be able to add

Alicia and Lavian to your roster. Add them to your roster, and do NOT let them

leave until you have completed the Agrias's Birthday sidequest in Chapter IV.

This means that you must not dismiss them, must not let them get turned into

crystals/chests, and must not let them abandon the party due to having a very

low Bravery or very high Faith.



* NOT IMPORTANT: At this time, you will also be able to add Ladd to your

roster. Ladd is basically just a generic male human. He doesn't have any

special abilities and isn't needed for any sidequests. So, you can take him or

leave him as you want.



* GOOD IDEA: At the start of the story battle at Araguay Woods, you'll be given

a choice whether to help Boco. Choose the second option to avoid losing

Bravery. However, your choice here does not affect anything else.



* NOT IMPORTANT: After the Araguay Woods battle, you will be able to add Boco

the chocobo to your roster. Boco is just a regular yellow Chocobo, so you

don't have to take him along.



* ESSENTIAL: After completing the story battle at the Clockwork City of Goug,

you will be able to add Mustadio to your roster. Mustadio is a unique story

character and is also needed for most of the sidequests in Chapter IV, so add

him to your roster and don't lose him.



* ESSENTIAL: After the battle at Balias Swale, you will be able to add Agrias

to your roster. Agrias is another unique story character and is needed for two

sidequests in Chapter IV, so add her to your team.



* ESSENTIAL: Deploying Agrias during the battle at Golgollada Gallows will

allow you to see some extra dialogue between her and Ramza. This dialogue is

not, however, needed to unlock anything else later.



---CHAPTER III-----------------------------------------------------------------



* GOOD IDEA: When Alma joins the party, it's a good idea de-equip her Healing

Staff and Barette (as well as her Red Shoes) before you go to the Orbonne

Monastery. This is not *required* as both these items can be poached later:

the Healing Staff is a rare poach from Dryads and the Barette is a rare poach

from Red Chocobos.



* NOT IMPORTANT: During a story event, you will be asked whether or not you

have read the Scriptures of Germonique. Your response here has no bearing on

anything, so don't worry about it :)



* GOOD IDEA: The story battle at Zeklaus Desert features all three types of

behemoths. All three types of behemoth yield rare items when poached. So, you

may want to poach them, or recruit one or more onto your team (with Entice or

Tame) to breed more behemoths for poaching. However, it is not necessary to

poach/recruit them here as there are plenty of behemoths in random battles

later in the game.



* ESSENTIAL: After the battle at Zeklaus Desert, you will be able to add Luso to

your roster. This is your only opportunity to get this unique character on

your team, so add him. (Luso is not needed to unlock any other events,

though.)



* ESSENTIAL: At the very end of Chapter III, you will be given a chance to add

Rapha and Marach to your roster. Both are unique story characters and each has

different abilities, so sign them up. (They are not, however, very useful :P.)



---CHAPTER IV------------------------------------------------------------------



The Gollund Colliery sidequest is available at the beginning of this chapter.

Assuming you still have Mustadio, Agrias, Alicia, and Lavian on your roster,

the Agrias's Birthday sidequest is also available at this time. Both of these

sidequests are available until completed and never disappear. (See Walkthrough

- Sidequests for the full walkthroughs for these quests.)



---Agrias's Birthday---

* ESSENTIAL: After completing the Agrias's Birthday sidequest, you will receive

the Tynar Rouge accessory. This is a one-of-a-kind item and cannot be

replaced, so don't throw it away, or let it get broken or stolen by an enemy.



After completing the Agrias's Birthday event, Alicia and Lavian are not

strictly needed for any other events, although they will appear in Disorder in

the Order if you still have them along.



---Gollund Colliery---

* ESSENTIAL: Near the beginning of this quest (at the Tavern in Lesalia),

Beowulf will ask you to team up. Choose the second option to agree to this.

Otherwise, Beowulf will leave and the quest cannot be completed.



* GOOD IDEA: In the third battle in this quest (Gollund Colliery Ridge), you

will encounter an enemy Pig. Entice or Tame the Pig so you can start breeding

monsters from the pig family. Some rare items can only be obtained by poaching

pig-family monsters -- including those from the Wild Boar monster, which can

ONLY be obtained by breeding! If you do miss the Pig here, though, you can get

others much later.



* ESSENTIAL: After completing the last battle of this quest, Beowulf and Holy

Dragon Reis will offer to join your team. Both are unique story characters and

both are needed for later quests, so sign them up.



* ESSENTIAL: Upon return to the Clockwork City of Goug, Construct 8 will also

be offered as another character. Construct 8 is another unique character, so

recruit it.



---Chapter IV Main Quest - Up to Bervenia Free City---

* GOOD IDEA: During the story battle at Bervenia Free City, you may want to

steal the Defender and Chantage from Meliadoul, especially since both are good

items. However, these can also be poached/stolen/caught later if you miss them.



After completing the story battle at the Free City of Bervenia, the Recruiting

Balthier sidequest is now available. It does not depend on any missable

factors.



---Recruiting Balthier Quest---

* ESSENTIAL: After you complete this quest, Balthier will offer to join.

Again, he is a unique story character, so sign him up. He is not needed for

any other quests.



* ESSENTIAL: Balthier's initial equipment includes the Ras Algethi gun and the

Mirage Vest body armor. Both of these are unique items, so, again, don't throw

them away or let them get broken. (Note that you must sign up Balthier to get

them.)



---Chapter IV Main Quest - Finnath Creek to Sal Ghidos---

* GOOD IDEA: During the story battle at Finnath Creek (NOT during the random

battles), there's a random chance of encountering one more enemy Pigs. If you

don't already have one, Entice or Tame a Pig so you can start breeding

monsters from the pig family. Some rare items can only be obtained by poaching

pig-family monsters -- including those from the Wild Boar monster, which can

ONLY be obtained by breeding! If you don't get any Pigs here, you can get

others later.



* GOOD IDEA: In the story battle at Beddha Sandwaste, you can steal a Glacial

Gun from Barich. This is a rare item that can't be bought in stores, but it's

not unique and you can get an infinite supply from random battles later.



* ESSENTIAL: After completing the battles at Fort Besselat, Orlandeau will

offer to join. Sign him up as he is another unique story character.



* GOOD IDEA: Orlandeau's initial equipment includes the Excalibur knight's

sword. The Excalibur isn't unique (an infinite supply can be caught from high-

level enemy Ninjas), but Excaliburs are hard to get, so hang on to it!



* ESSENTIAL: When you first visit the Trade City of Sal Ghidos, you will see a

cutscene in which Aerith offers you a flower. Choose the SECOND option to buy

the flower. If you do not buy the flower, you will NOT be able to complete the

Nelveska Temple & Recruiting Cloud subquests, and there is only ONE chance to

get it!!



Once you have the flower, you can complete the Nelveska Temple sidequest if you

also finished the Gollund Colliery quest and still have Beowulf and Reis on

your team.



---Nelveska Temple Quest---

* ESSENTIAL: Using the Treasure Hunter ability, move atop the left pillar to

find the Escutcheon (II) shield. You will need to use a large monster (such as

Reis or Construct 8) as a stepping-stone to get up on top of the pillar. You

may instead receive a crummy regular Escutcheon; the chance of getting this BAD

Escutcheon is equal to your Bravery. So, a lower Bravery is better! This is

the ONLY chance to get the Escutcheon II in the game and you CANNOT come back

to this map afterwards, so you must pick it up here to get every item.



* GOOD IDEA: The Javelin II, Sasuke's Blade, and Nagnarok weapons can also be

found with Treasure Hunter and low Bravery here. These, however, are not

unique; Sasuke's Blade and the Javelin II can be caught from enemy Ninjas and

the Nagnarok can be poached from Swine.



* ESSENTIAL: After completing the events in this quest, Reis's new version will

offer to rejoin your party. She is another unique story character and needed

for the Lionel's New Liege Lord quest, so sign her up.



---Chapter IV Main Quest - Mount Germinas to Limberry---

* ESSENTIAL: The Mount Germinas map contains a one-of-a-kind item, the

Invisibility Cloak, found using Treasure Hunter atop the mountain. (See

Various Tricks for a map to its location.) Again, the lower your Bravery, the

better chance of getting the Invisibility Cloak instead of just an Ether. You

only get to pick up ONE of these items, so if you end up with the Ether, the

Invisibility Cloak is gone for good! Unlike with the Nelveska Temple items,

however, there's absolutely no need to get this during the story battle here --

you can come back and get it in a random battle at any time.



* GOOD IDEA: You may encounter another Pig in the story battle at Finnath

Creek. (It's random whether or not you'll see it.) If you missed the Pig in

the Gollund Colliery, try to recruit this one. If you don't get one here, you

can still find an infinite supply in the last floor of Midlight's Deep.



* GOOD IDEA: At Limberry, you'll face a series of four battles. In the first

three battles, you'll want to learn Ultima by having one of the Assassins or

Ultima Demons cast it on either Ramza in his Squire job, or Luso in his Game

Hunter job. It is easiest by far to learn it in the first battle (at the

gate).



* NOT IMPORTANT: You can't steal Elmdore's equipment in this version of the

game, so don't even try.



* ESSENTIAL: After winning all the battles at Limberry, Meliadoul will offer to

join you. Sign her up; she is a unique character and is needed for another

couple story events.



* GOOD IDEA: Meliadoul comes with a Save The Queen sword. Again, the supply of

these is actually unlimited (since they can be caught from enemy Ninjas), but

keeping this one as a good idea!



The Recruiting Cloud quest is now available.



---Recruiting Cloud Quest---

* ESSENTIAL: When given the chance to sign up Cloud, add him. He isn't needed

for anything else, but IS a unique story character.



* GOOD IDEA: Cloud's Materia Blade is found atop Mount Bervenia using Treasure

Hunter. Bravery is NOT important. Try to hang onto it since Cloud needs it

for his Limit command, but if you lose it, you CAN get more from enemy Ninjas.



---Chapter IV Main Quest - Eagrose to End---

* ESSENTIAL: After Limberry, you will be directed back to Eagrose. On your way

back to Eagrose, enter Dorter Trade City for an optional battle. (This battle

will only trigger if you have Meliadoul on your roster.) If you visit Eagrose

before activated this battle, it will disappear.



* GOOD IDEA: In the aforementioned Dorter battle, you can steal a Dragon Rod

from Cletienne. This weapon can also be found as a rare poach from Blue

Dragons, but it's easiest to steal.



* GOOD IDEA: The boss at Eagrose has a Defender sword you can steal, if you

missed the one at Bervenia or want a second one. Again, there's actually an

unlimited supply of Defenders (from poaching Elder Treants), so you don't

*have* to get this one.



* GOOD IDEA: Once you get to Mullonde, you'll face a series of three battles.

In the first battle, the enemy Summoner has another Dragon Rod if you missed

the prior one.



* ESSENTIAL: For the second battle at Mullonde, deploy Meliadoul for some

additional mid-battle dialogue. (This is not needed to unlock anything else,

however.)



* ESSENTIAL: If you have not yet learned the Ultima spell, the third battle at

Mullonde is your last chance to learn it, if Ultima Demons cast it on either

Ramza in his Squire job, or Luso in his Game Hunter job.



Once you complete the battles at Mullonde, you will be able to complete the

last set of sidequests, as well as the last set of story battles. You must

still have Beowulf, Reis, and Agrias to complete this final set of sidequests.



* ESSENTIAL: After entering Orbonne Monastery for the final sequence of

battles, SAVE YOUR GAME IN A DIFFERENT SLOT. You will NOT be able to get out

to the world map again. So, if you want to be able to roam the map at all, you

must keep a separate save from BEFORE you went into the Monastery.



---Lionel's New Liege Lord Quest---

* NOT IMPORANT: Aliste has Safeguard, so you can't steal any of his Genji gear.

Sorry.



* ESSENTIAL: After completing the first battle of this quest, you will receive

the Genji Armor as a battle trophy. This is a unique item, so do not let get

it stolen or broken.



* GOOD IDEA: You can steal the Masamune from one of the enemy samurai in the

second battle of this quest. The Masamune can only be otherwise obtained by

catching it from enemy Ninjas, so it's good to get here. (Be careful using the

Masamune for Iaido; if it breaks, you'll have to catch a replacement!)



* GOOD IDEA: You can also steal a Cachusha and Barette from the enemy Mystics

in the same battle. These are also available from poaching.



* ESSENTIAL: You will receive a Zeus Mace as a battle trophy after the second

battle. Keep it; this is one of only two in the game.



---Disorder in the Order Quest---

* GOOD IDEA: If you still have Alicia and Lavian in your roster, the story

event at Zeltennia Castle will include them in the background. However, having

them here doesn't affect the actual event, nor your ability to do anything else

later. Note that once you've completed this event, Alicia and Lavian aren't

used for anything else, so you could dismiss them if you want since they're

otherwise just generic characters.



* ESSENTIAL: If you bring Orlandeau to the battle in this quest, you can see a

little extra dialogue. But, it's not needed for anything else.



* ESSENTIAL: In the battle in this quest, you can steal Venetian and Kaiser

Shields from the two Knights, and Ninja Gear from the enemy Monk. There is

only other one copy of each of these items, so be sure to snag them.



* GOOD IDEA: You can also steal a Sasuke's Blade, Barette, Blaze Gun, and

Glacial Gun in the same battle, although none of these are strictly necessary.



---Midlight's Deep---

All the floors of Midlight's Deep have items you can find with Treasure Hunter.

Again, a lower Bravery increases your chance is needed to get these items;

otherwise, you just get a Phoenix Down. If you get the Phoenix Down, the

"good" item disappears, even if you leave the battle and re-enter.



* GOOD IDEA: Good Treasure Hunter pickups on The Crevasse: Glacial Gun and

Blaze Gun. (Both also obtainable in random battles, however.)



* GOOD IDEA: Good Treasure Hunter pickups on The Stair: Save The Queen and

Blood Sword.



* ESSENTIAL: Treasure Hunter pickup on The Hollow: Zeus Mace. There are only

two of these available in the game; the other comes from the Lionel's New Liege

Lord quest.

* GOOD IDEA: Treasure Hunter pickup on The Hollow: Yoichi Bow.



* ESSENTIAL: Treasure Hunter pickup on The Catacombs: Rod of Faith. Only

available here.

* ESSENTIAL: Treasure Hunter pickup on The Catacombs: Kaiser Shield. One of

only two; the other comes from Disorder in the Order.

* GOOD IDEA: Treasure Hunter pickup on The Catacombs: Faerie Harp.



* GOOD IDEA: Good Treasure Hunter pickups on The Oubliette: Excalibur and Iga

Blade.



* ESSENTIAL: Treasure Hunter pickup on The Palings: Cursed Ring (only one in

the game).

* ESSENTIAL: Treasure Hunter pickup on The Palings: Ninja Gear (1 of 2 in the

game; the other from Disorder in the Order).

* GOOD IDEA: Treasure Hunter pickup on The Palings: Blaster gun.



* ESSENTIAL: Treasure Hunter pickup on The Crossing: Staff of the Magi (only

one in the game).

* GOOD IDEA: Treasure Hunter pickup on The Crossing: Koga Blade.



* ESSENTIAL: Treasure Hunter pickups on The Switchback: Perseus Bow and Lordly

Robe (both only available here).

* GOOD IDEA: Treasure Hunter pickup on The Switchback: Excalibur.



* ESSENTIAL: Treasure Hunter pickups on The Interstice: Maximillian and Grand

Helm (both unique), and Venetian Shield (1 of 2 in the game; the other is from

Disorder in the Order)



* ESSENTIAL: The first time you enter floor 10 (Terminus), you'll fight a story

battle. This is your only chance to obtain the Zodiark summon, by having it

the boss cast it on a character using the Summoner job. Use Mana Shield to

survive the spell.



* ESSENTIAL: After defeating Elidibus, you will be able to sign up the Byblos.

This is a unique monster/character, so add it.



* GOOD IDEA: Treasure Hunter pickups on Terminus: Chaos Blade and Chirijiraden.

(Be careful using the Chirijiraden for Iaido; if it breaks, you'll have to

catch a replacement!)



*******************************************************************************

XII. ERRANDS 00err

*******************************************************************************



New errands appear in the Taverns as you progress through the game. Each

town has its own set of Errands.



Occasionally, the characters sent on an errand may fail to complete it. If

this happens, let the calendar advance a month and the errand should re-appear

in the Tavern.



As listed below, some errands will yield Artefact or Wonder of the World when

you complete them. The specific artefact or wonder you receive is random, but

the errands that give you them are fixed.



[ This section needs some updating and expanding; I'll get to it a future

revision of the FAQ! ]



---Chapter II------------------------------------------------------------------



Mount Gulg Mother Lode

Chapter: 2 Days: 15-16 Location: Eagrose Castle

Cost: 3100 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



Bandits

Chapter: 2 Days: 11-13 Location: Merchant City of Dorter

Cost: 600 Reward: Gil, JP



Shoreline Defense

Chapter: 2 Days: 8-9 Location: Magick City of Gariland

Cost: 3050 Reward: Gil, JP



Miner's Tale

Chapter: 2 Days: 8-11 Location: Magick City of Gariland

Cost: 600 Reward: Gil, JP



The Hindenburg

Chapter: 2 Days: 8-15 Location: Castled City of Zaland

Cost: 100 Reward: Gil, JP



Zaland Embassy Antiques

Chapter: 2 Days: 10-12 Location: Castled City of Zaland

Cost: 6000 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



My Little Carrot

Chapter: 2 Days: 15-16 Location: Lionel Castle

Cost: 100 Reward: Gil, JP



Miner Shortage

Chapter: 2 Days: 7-9 Location: Clockwork City of Goug

Cost: 100 Reward: Gil, JP



The Highwind

Chapter: 2 Days: 5-8 Location: Port City of Warjilis

Cost: 1050 Reward: Gil, JP



---Chapter III-----------------------------------------------------------------



Frontier Marathon

Chapter: 3 Days: 14-16 Location: Merchant City of Dorter

Cost: Free Reward: Gil, wonder, JP



Second Frontier Marathon

Chapter: 3 Days: 14-16 Location: Merchant City of Dorter

Cost: Free Reward: Gil, wonder, JP

Note: Must complete above errand first



Third Frontier Marathon

Chapter: 3 Days: 14-16 Location: Merchant City of Dorter

Cost: Free Reward: Gil, wonder, JP

Note: Must complete above errand first



Stolen Tomes

Chapter: 3 Days: 12-16 Location: Magick City of Gariland

Cost: 11000 Reward: Gil, JP



Minstrel in Distress

Chapter: 3 Days: 13-16 Location: Eagrose Castle

Cost: 50 Reward: Gil, JP



Mameco the Minstrel

Chapter: 3 Days: 15-16 Location: Eagrose Castle

Cost: Free Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Use Dancers for this errand, must complete above errand first



Lorraide Mine

Chapter: 3 Days: 10-14 Location: Castled City of Zaland

Cost: 1100 Reward: Gil, JP



The Dawn Queen

Chapter: 3 Days: 8-12 Location: Lionel Castle

Cost: 100 Reward: Gil, JP



Zerro's Challenge

Chapter: 3 Days: 8-9 Location: Lionel Castle

Cost: 50 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



Clockwork Faire

Chapter: * Days: 11-13 Location: Clockwork City of Goug

Cost: 100 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP

Note: Use Chemists for this errand



Mesa's Legacy

Chapter: 3 Days: 10-13 Location: Clockwork City of Goug

Cost: 10000 Reward: Gil, JP

Note: This errand is a rip-off.



Merchant's Regret

Chapter: 3 Days: 14-15 Location: Port City of Warjilis

Cost: 2000 Reward: Gil, wonder, JP



Old Toppa's Will

Chapter: 3 Days: 11-13 Location: Mining Town of Gollund

Cost: 8000 Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Send Chemists on this errand.



Salvage Expedition

Chapter: 3 Days: 10-14 Location: Royal City of Lesalia

Cost: 3000 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



Abandoned Mine

Chapter: 3 Days: 10-14 Location: Royal City of Lesalia

Cost: 1000 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



Errands below only appear after completing the battles at Orbonne Monastery.



Guard Duty

Chapter: 3+ Days: 11-13 Location: Eagrose Castle

Cost: 2000 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



The Siedge Weald

Chapter: 3+ Days: 11-13 Location: Castled City of Zaland

Cost: 1100 Reward: Gil, wonder, JP



Trick of the Light

Chapter: 3+ Days: 14-15 Location: Lionel Castle

Cost: 1050 Reward: Gil, wonder, JP



Fenland Mystery

Chapter: 3+ Days: 13-14 Location: Lionel Castle

Cost: 1100 Reward: Gil, wonder, JP



Diving Expedition

Chapter: 3+ Days: 10-14 Location: Walled City of Yardrow

Cost: 5000 Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Use Archers for this errand



---Chapter IV------------------------------------------------------------------



Gleddia Isle

Chapter: 4 Days: 9-11 Location: Riovanes Castle

Cost: 4000 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



Foundered Vessel

Chapter: 4 Days: 8-13 Location: Riovanes Castle

Cost: Free Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Must complete above errand first



Fia's Wish

Chapter: 4 Days: 12-14 Location: Riovanes Castle

Cost: 3000 Reward: Gil, JP



Secret Society

Chapter: 4 Days: 2-3 Location: Riovanes Castle

Cost: 600 Reward: Gil, JP



Lettre d'amour

Chapter: 4 Days: 10-12 Location: Riovanes Castle

Cost: Free Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



Arithmeticks Tutor Wanted

Chapter: 4 Days: 10-13 Location: Magick City of Gariland

Cost: 50 Reward: Gil, JP



Hellspawned Beast

Chapter: 4 Days: 14-15 Location: Eagrose Castle

Cost: 1000 Reward: Gil, JP



Metamorphosed Misery

Chapter: 4 Days: 15-16 Location: Eagrose Castle

Cost: 1100 Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Must completed above errand first



Count Minimas

Chapter: 4 Days: 12-14 Location: Merchant City of Dorter

Cost: 600 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



Count Minimas

Chapter: 4 Days: 12-15 Location: Merchant City of Dorter

Cost: 1000 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP

Note: Must complete above errand first



Count Minimas

Chapter: 4 Days: 11-12 Location: Merchant City of Dorter

Cost: 600 Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Must complete above errand first



Father's Nightmare

Chapter: 4 Days: 15-16 Location: Lionel Castle

Cost: 1500 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP

Note: Use Chemists for this errand



The Durga

Chapter: 4 Days: 11-14 Location: Clockwork City of Goug

Cost: 100 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



Devil in the Dark

Chapter: 4 Days: 8-10 Location: Clockwork City of Goug

Cost: 3050 Reward: Gil, JP



Rain-Swept Slopes

Chapter: 4 Days: 13-16 Location: Port City of Warjilis

Cost: 600 Reward: Gil, wonder, JP



True Romance

Chapter: 4 Days: 8-12 Location: Port City of Warjilis

Cost: Free Reward: Gil, artefact, JP

Note: Must complete "Lettre d'amour" errand at Riovanes Castle first



In the Darkness

Chapter: 4 Days: 12-14 Location: Port City of Warjilis

Cost: 1500 Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Use White Mages for this errand



Wandering Gambler

Chapter: 4 Days: 9-12 Location: Port City of Warjilis

Cost: 15000 Reward: Gil, JP



Coal Miners Wanted

Chapter: 4 Days: 4-6 Location: Mining Town of Gollund

Cost: 50 Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Use Archers for this errand



More Coal Miners Wanted

Chapter: 4 Days: 4-6 Location: Mining Town of Gollund

Cost: 150 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP

Note: Most complete above errand first, use Archers for this errand



Lamzen the Adventurer

Chapter: 4 Days: 12-16 Location: Mining Town of Gollund

Cost: 1100 Reward: Gil, wonder, JP



Frontier Expedition

Chapter: 4 Days: 10-14 Location: Royal City of Lesalia

Cost: 5000 Reward: Gil, wonder, JP



The Falcon

Chapter: 4 Days: 7-9 Location: Walled City of Yardrow

Cost: 3500 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP

Note: Use Archers for this errand



Endless Caverns

Chapter: 4 Days: 12-14 Location: Free City of Bervenia

Cost: 8000 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



Past Glory

Chapter: 4 Days: 7-15 Location: Free City of Bervenia

Cost: 500 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP

Note: Use Geomancers for this errand



Beddha Sandwaste

Chapter: 4 Days: 11-15 Location: Free City of Bervenia

Cost: 550 Reward: Gil, wonder, JP



Adventurers Wanted

Chapter: 4 Days: 8-12 Location: Free City of Bervenia

Cost: 100 Reward: Gil, wonder, JP



Shadows from the Past

Chapter: 4 Days: 12-15 Location: Free City of Bervenia

Cost: 3050 Reward: Gil, wonder, JP



Rhana Strait

Chapter: 4 Days: 9-13 Location: Zeltennia Castle

Cost: 3100 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



Zerro Strikes

Chapter: 4 Days: 8-9 Location: Zeltennia Castle

Cost: 100 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP

Note: Must complete errand "Zerro's Challenge" in Lionel Castle first,

use Chemists for this errand



Nightwalker

Chapter: 4 Days: 8-12 Location: Zeltennia Castle

Cost: 3050 Reward: Gil, JP



Zerro's Return

Chapter: 4 Days: 8-9 Location: Royal City of Lesalia

Cost: 500 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP

Note: Must complete errand "Zerro Strikes" at Zeltennia Castle first



Thief Zerro Reborn!

Chapter: 4 Days: 8-9 Location: Eagrose Castle

Cost: 5000 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP

Note: Must complete above errand first



Himca Cliffs

Chapter: 4 Days: 8-12 Location: Trade City of Sal Ghidos

Cost: 1500 Reward: Gil, wonder, JP



Ore of the Gods

Chapter: 4 Days: 9-11 Location: Trade City of Sal Ghidos

Cost: 13000 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



Lake Poescas Depths

Chapter: 4 Days: 12-14 Location: Limberry Castle

Cost: 1500 Reward: Gil, wonder, JP



Cellar Dungeon

Chapter: 4 Days: 11-13 Location: Limberry Castle

Cost: 3000 Reward: Gil, wonder, JP



Uninvited Guests

Chapter: 4 Days: 8-13 Location: Limberry Castle

Cost: 3050 Reward: Gil, JP



Gysahl Greens

Chapter: 4 Days: 2-4 Location: Limberry Castle

Cost: 100 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



Wandering Gambler

Chapter: 4 Days: 11-13 Location: Limberry Castle

Cost: 15000 Reward: Gil, JP



Zerro's Final Heist

Chapter: 4 Days: 8-9 Location: Limberry Castle

Cost: 10000 Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Must complete errand "Thief Zerro Reborn!" at Eagrose Castle first



Errands below only appear after defeating Zalera.



Ancient Wonder

Chapter: 4+ Days: 13-14 Location: Eagrose Castle

Cost: 200 Reward: Gil, wonder, JP



Cattedona

Chapter: 4+ Days: 14-15 Location: Castled City of Zaland

Cost: 500 Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Use Orators for this errand



Lionel Emissary

Chapter: 4+ Days: 14-15 Location: Lionel Castle

Cost: 4000 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



Twilight Gustkov

Chapter: 4+ Days: 14-15 Location: Mining Town of Gollund

Cost: 1000 Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Use Thieves for this errand



Terror's Maw

Chapter: 4+ Days: 13-14 Location: Mining Town of Gollund

Cost: 1500 Reward: Gil, JP



Miner's Dream

Chapter: 4+ Days: 12-14 Location: Mining Town of Gollund

Cost: 150 Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Must complete above errand first



Ducal Disaster

Chapter: 4+ Days: 15-16 Location: Royal City of Lesalia

Cost: 6000 Reward: Gil, JP



Young Lord Pappal

Chapter: 4+ Days: 12-15 Location: Royal City of Lesalia

Cost: 3000 Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Must complete above errand first



Cries in the Dark

Chapter: 4+ Days: 8-11 Location: Royal City of Lesalia

Cost: 3050 Reward: Gil, JP



Salvage Work

Chapter: 4+ Days: 9-14 Location: Walled City of Yardrow

Cost: Free Reward: Gil, JP



Coal Mining Expedition

Chapter: 4+ Days: 10-14 Location: Walled City of Yardrow

Cost: 1000 Reward: Gil, JP



Second Coal Mining Expedition

Chapter: 4+ Days: 10-14 Location: Walled City of Yardrow

Cost: 1000 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP

Note: Must complete above errand first



Historic Revolt

Chapter: 4+ Days: 8-10 Location: Riovanes Castle

Cost: 3050 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP



Tutoring

Chapter: 4+ Days: 8-12 Location: Riovanes Castle

Cost: 200 Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Use magick-users for this errand



The Behemoth

Chapter: 4+ Days: 13-15 Location: Free City of Bervenia

Cost: 500 Reward: Gil, JP



Dredge Work

Chapter: 4+ Days: 6-10 Location: Zeltennia Castle

Cost: 1000 Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Use Archers for this errand



Missing Boy

Chapter: 4+ Days: 15-16 Location: Zeltennia Castle

Cost: 3500 Reward: Gil, JP



Appraisal

Chapter: 4+ Days: 8-9 Location: Zeltennia Castle

Cost: 550 Reward: Gil, artefact, JP

Note: Use Chemists for this errand



Death's Gorge

Chapter: 4+ Days: 9-14 Location: Trade City of Sal Ghidos

Cost: 13000 Reward: Gil, JP



The Typhoon

Chapter: 4+ Days: 10-13 Location: Trade City of Sal Ghidos

Cost: 11000 Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Use Chemists for this errand



Beastly Trail

Chapter: 4+ Days: 11-13 Location: Trade City of Sal Ghidos

Cost: 10000 Reward: Gil, JP



Memories

Chapter: 4+ Days: 10-12 Location: Trade City of Sal Ghidos

Cost: 100 Reward: Gil, JP



---Contest Errands-------------------------------------------------------------



The following "contest" errands don't seem to be associated with any particular

chapter. Instead, they only show up at certain times of the year:



Arteficer's Contest

Chapter: * Days: 14-16 Location: Clockwork City of Goug

Cost: Free Reward: Gil, JP

Note: Only during month of Sagittarius, use Chemists for this errand



The Yardrow Melee

Chapter: * Days: 14-16 Location: Walled City of Yardrow

Cost: Free Reward: Gil, artefact, JP

Note: Only during month of Cancer



Gariland Magick Melee

Chapter: * Days: 14-16 Location: Magick City of Gariland

Cost: Free Reward: Gil, artefact, JP

Note: Only during month of Virgo, use magick-users for this errand



The Zaland Melee

Chapter: * Days: 14-16 Location: Castled City of Zaland

Cost: Free Reward: Gil, JP

Notes: Only during month of Aries, use Monks for this errand



*******************************************************************************

XIII. OTHER GAME INFORMATION

*******************************************************************************



%%%IVALICIAN CALENDAR%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00calendar



Aries 30 days [Mar. 21 to Apr. 19] Dry month

Taurus 31 days [Apr. 20 to May 20] Dry month

Gemini 32 days [May 21 to June 21] Wet month

Cancer 31 days [June 22 to July 22] Wet month

Leo 31 days [July 23 to Aug. 22] Dry month

Virgo 31 days [Aug. 23 to Sep. 22] Dry month

Libra 31 days [Sep. 23 to Oct. 23] Dry month

Scorpio 30 days [Oct. 24 to Nov. 22] Dry month

Sagittarius 30 days [Nov. 23 to Dec. 22] Wet month

Capricorn 28 days [Dec. 23 to Jan. 19] Wet month

Aquarius 30 days [Jan. 20 to Feb. 18] Wet month

Pisces 30 days [Feb. 19 to Mar. 20] Dry month



Thunderstorms are more common during wet months than dry months.



%%%ZODIAC COMPATIBILITY%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00zodiac



Ar T G Cn Le V Li Sc Sa Cp Aq P

Aries X O ? O X

Taurus X O ? O X

Gemini X O ? O X

Cancer X X O ? O

Leo O X X O ?

Virgo O X X O ?

Libra ? O X X O

Scorpio ? O X X O

Sagittarius O ? O X X

Capricorn X O ? O X

Aquarius X O ? O X

Pisces X O ? O X



O: Good X: Bad

?: Worst (same sex), Best (opposite sex)



Monsters are considered to have the same sex as other monsters, but to differ

in sex from both male & female humans.



%%%PARTY & BOSS ZODIAC SIGNS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00boss



While generic units (even those in story battles) have random Zodiac signs,

most story characters have predefined Zodiac signs. Those for your party

members and enemy bosses are listed below. Temporary party members are

indicated by (parentheses).



--PARTY MEMBERS--

Aries : Lavian, Boco

Taurus : (Ovelia)

Gemini : Marach, Construct 8

Cancer : Agrias, Luso, (Orran), (Zalbaag)

Leo : Balthier, (Alma)

Virgo : (Argath), (Gaffgarion)

Libra : Mustadio, Beowulf

Scorpio : Orlandeau

Sagittarius : (Delita)

Capricorn : Ladd, Meliadoul

Aquarius : Cloud

Pisces : Alicia, Rapha, Reis



random : The Byblos

user-entered: Ramza



Note that no permanent story characters have Taurus, Virgo, or Sagittarius as

their Zodiac sign. If you want a complete set of Zodiac signs, you could give

Ramza one of these signs. (See the Calendar above for which sign corresponds

to which dates.) On the other hand, due to the proliferation of Gemini and

Virgo bosses, you're probably better off making him a Capricorn to give him

good compatibility with those bosses.





--ENEMY BOSSES - BY BATTLE--

This chart details when you'll encounter enemy bosses with each Zodiac sign.

For each Zodiac sign, the numbers indicate a story battle where a boss has that

sign (e.g. the 25 for Gemini means that battle #25 has a Gemini boss). See the

chart above for which Zodiac signs will be effective against each boss.



Some battles are listed more than once in this chart because some battles have

more than one boss. If a numbers doesn't appear anywhere in the chart, that's

because there's no boss in that battle!



Aries : 8

Taurus : none

Gemini : 25, 29, 32, 34, 45, 47, 48, 51, 55, Lionel's New Liege Lord #2

Cancer : 52

Leo : 51, 57

Virgo : 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 18, 19, 26, 33, 34, 44, 45, 46, 58

Libra : none

Scorpio : 21, 49, Lionel's New Liege Lord #1

Sagittarius : 23, 34, 38, 39, 44, 45, 56

Capricorn : 36, 51, 54

Aquarius : none

Pisces : none

Serpentarius: Midlight's Deep floor 10



random : Gollund Colliery #4, Nelveska Temple



Note that Zodiac signs are NOT evenly distributed across bosses -- most bosses

are Geminis and Virgos, with a few Sagittariuses and Capricorns. So, you might

want to adjust your party line-up accordingly:

- Against Gemini bosses, Virgos, Capricorns, and especially opposite-gender

Scorpios are effective

- Against Virgo bosses, Tauruses, Capricorns, and especially opposite-gender

Pisces are effective

Since Capricorn is good against BOTH Gemini and Virgo bosses, it's a

particularly helpful Zodiac sign to have!





--ENEMY BOSSES - BY CHARACTER--

The chart below details which enemy boss characters have which Zodiac signs.

Don't peek if you don't want to know all the boss names!





!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!



Aries : Boco

Taurus : none

Gemini : Isilud, Marach, Elmdore, Zalera, Cletienne, Bremondt

Cancer : Zalbaag

Leo : Folmarv, Hashmal

Virgo : Milleuda, Wiegraf, Argath, Gaffgarion, Belias*, Celia, Ultima

Libra : none

Scorpio : Cuchulainn, Dycedarg, Adrammelech, Aliste

Sagittarius : Zalmour, Lettie, Barich

Capricorn : Meliadoul, Loffrey

Aquarius : none

Pisces : none

Serpentarius: Elidibus



random : Syneugh, Construct 7



* Note: While Belias is ostensibly the Lucavi of Aries, its actual in-game

zodiac sign during the battle is Virgo, because it transforms from Wiegraf.







!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!















%%%STATUS CHANGES (QUICK REFERENCE)%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00status1



---Status Related to Game Mechanics---

APPEARANCE EFFECT

Charging Gold "C" Charging up spell; increases physical damage

received

Performing Sing / dance Charging up song or dance

Defending Crossed arms Doubles evade rate (both physical & magickal)

Critical Kneeling None; just indicates that you're low on HP.

(Some reaction abilities trigger only when

Critical.)

KO Lying down Character dies after counter gone

Chicken Becomes a chicken Character cannot be controlled and will only

flee into corner



---Positive Status Changes---

APPEARANCE EFFECT

Float Floats in air Move over water as if land; immune to earth

attacks; character's height is 1 unit higher

Reraise Angel icon Revived on next turn after being KOed

Invisible Transparent Can't be attacked until you Act

Regen Blue tint HP increases after each of character's turns

Protect Triangle icon Lowers physical damage received

Shell Square icon Lowers magick damage received

Haste Fast animation CT gauge fills faster



---Negative Status Changes---

APPEARANCE EFFECT

Sleep "Zzz" Can't do anything; receive more damage from

physical attacks

Poison Green tint, HP decreases after each of character's turns

skull icon

Blind Sunglasses icon Doubles enemy's chance to evade your attacks

Oil Black tint, oil Receive double damage from fire attacks

spill icon

Stone Turns gray Can't do anything or take damage. Game Over if

all units KOed or Stone

Silence "..." Can't use magick or Speechcraft

Toad Becomes a toad Can't use any abilities except Attack and Toad

magick. Stats down.

Slow Slow animation CT gauge fills more slowly

Stop No animation CT gauge doesn't fill at all; can't do anything

Immobilize Gold arrow icon Can't "Move"

Disable Hand icon Can't "Act" or use Reaction Abilities

Doom Countdown KOed when countdown expired

Vampire Bat icon Character is undead AND confused

Undead Purple tint Healing spells damage character; drain attacks

restore HP

Charm Heart icon Character temporarily fights on enemy's side

Traitor none Character has permanently joined enemy team

Berserk Red tint, angry Attack power up; character cannot be controlled

face icon and only performs physical attacks

Confuse Weird animation, Character performs random actions

"?" icon



---Neutral Status Changes---

APPEARANCE EFFECT

Reflect none Magicks bounce off target onto another tile

Atheist Ankh & down arrow Faith temporarily changed to 0

Faith Ankh & up arrow Faith temporarily changed to 100



%%%STATUS CHANGES (DETAIL)%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00status2



---Status Related to Game Mechanics--------------------------------------------



---CHARGING---

Appearance: Gold "C" icon appears over character's head

Effect : Character is charging up an ability or magick

Character receives 50% more damage from physical attacks

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Using any ability with The ability is cast n/a

"speed" listed Character is KOed or loses

ability to perform actions



---PERFORMING---

Appearance: Character is seen singing or dancing

Effect : Character uses the chosen Sing or Dance ability at each new turn

until a new action is chosen

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Using Dance or Sing Taking another action n/a

command Character is KOed or loses

ability to perform actions



---DEFENDING---

Appearance: Crossed arms

Effect : Physical and magickal evade rates are doubled

Granted by: Remove with: Permanently granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Defend [Squire & most Character's next turn n/a

special jobs] Character is KOed or loses

Vigilance [Thief] ability to perform actions





---CRITICAL---

Appearance: Critical is kneeling or crouching

Effect : Some Reaction Abilities activate only when in critical HP.

Monsters in critical HP after a physical attack can be Tamed.

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Lowering character's HP Restore character's HP n/a

below 20% of max above 20% of max



---KO---

Appearance: Character lying on the ground

Effect : Character cannot do anything; all other attacks miss character.

Counter over character's head decreases by 1 each turn; when it

goes past 0, the character permanently dies and turns into a

crystal or chest

If all characters KOed and turned to Stone, battle is lost

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by*:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Reduce HP to 0 Phoenix Down [Chemist] Barette [hair adornment]

Death [Black Mage] Revive [Monk] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Magma Surge [Geomancer] Raise, Arise [White Mage, Chameleon Robe [robe]

Northswain's Strike [Holy Celebrant, Sorceror] Onion Gloves [gauntlets]

Knight, Sword Saint, Squeak [Pig] Angel Ring [ring]

White Knt., Rune Knt.] Reraise status

Compress [Automaton]

Valhalla [fell sword]

Heave [Behemoth family]

Dark Whisper [Tiamat]

Doom status

Bioga [The Impure, Reaver,

Rune Knight]

Suffocate [Assassin]



* These items only grant immunity to instant-KO attacks, not to being KOed from

losing all your HP.



---CHICKEN---

Appearance: Character becomes a chicken.

Effect : Character cannot be controlled, and simply flees towards a corner.

1 Bravery point is restored per turn.

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Lower character's Bravery Increase character's nothing

below 10 Bravery to 10



---Positive Status-------------------------------------------------------------



These are status changes that are beneficial for your characters. Some of

these can be granted during battle, and will last only for the duration of the

battle (or shorter). These positive status effects can also be removed by

certain other abilities -- so if you see an enemy with a positive status effect

and want to get rid of it, you can.



Some pieces of equipment will also grant a permanent positive status effect as

long as the character has the item equipped. These effects CANNOT be directly

removed by any abilities, only by stealing or rending the relevant piece of

equipment.



Note that while the Bard's Nameless Song ability can bestow most positive

status, it only gives each ally one status change, and the particular status

given is random. If you definitely want a specific status change, you'll

probably want to use a different ability to bestow it, if possible.



---FLOAT---

Appearance: Character hovers in air

Effect : Character can move over water as if it was land.

Character is immune to Earth-elemental attacks.

Character's vertical position is increased by 1 over the actual

height of the panel on which he or she is standing.

Granted by: Remove with: Permanently granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Float [Time Mage] Harmony [Mystic] Levitate [Time Mage]

Dispel [Templar] Winged Boots [shoes]

Dischord [Squidraken] Cherche [perfume]

Dispelja [Arch Seraph] Bomb family

Ghost family



---RERAISE---

Appearance: Angel hovers next to character

Effect : Next time character is KOed, s/he automatically revives on his/her

next turn. Or, immediately cancels next KO due to Doom status.

Granted by: Remove with: Permanently granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Reraise [White Mage] After used once Chantage [perfume] *

Dragonheart [Dragoon] Harmony [Mystic] Grand Armor [armor] *

Nameless Song [Bard] Dispel [Templar] Onion Armor [armor] *

Aegis [Princess/Cleric] Dischord [Squidraken] Brave Suit [clothes] *

Angel Ring [ring] Dispelja [Arch Seraph]



* Note: Reraise normally wears off after one revival, but the Reraise from

these items is PERMANENT and allows you to revive an infinite number of times

per battle. The Angel Ring item only gives you Reraise per battle.



---INVISIBLE---

Appearance: Character looks partially transparent

Effect : Character cannot be targeted by enemy units

Granted by: Remove with: Permanently granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Vanish [Ninja] Character takes any action nothing

Ninja Gear [clothes] besides moving

Invisibility Cloak [cloak] Character loses HP

Septie`me [perfume] Harmony [Mystic]

Dispel [Templar]

Dischord [Squidraken]

Dispelja [Arch Seraph]



---REGEN---

Appearance: Character glows blue

Effect : HP is restored at end of each of character's turns

Granted by: Remove with: Permanently granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Regen [White Mage] After time elapses Chaos Blade [knigt's swd]

Regenerate [White Mage] Harmony [Mystic] Pantherskin Bag [bag]

Masamune [Samurai] Dispel [Templar] Grand Armor [armor]

Nameless Song [Bard] Dischord [Squidraken] Onion Armor [armor]

Aegis [Princess/Cleric] Dispelja [Arch Seraph] Brave Suit [clothes]

Chantage [perfume]



---PROTECT---

Appearance: Triangle icon

Effect : Decreases physical damage received by character

Granted by: Remove with: Permanently granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Protect [White Mage] After time elapses Save the Queen [knt. sd]

Protectja [White Mage] Harmony [Mystic] Durandal [knight's sword]

Wall [White Mage] Dispel [Templar] Onion Armor [armor]

Kiyomori [Samurai] Dischord [Squidraken] Lordly Robe [robe]

Nameless Song [Bard] Dispelja [Arch Seraph] Sortile'ge [perfume]

Aegis [Princess/Cleric] Tynar Rouge [lip rouge]

Guardian Nymph [Dryad/

Elder Treant]



---SHELL---

Appearance: Square icon

Effect : Decreases magick damage received by character

Granted by: Remove with: Permanently granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Shell [White Mage] After time elapses Ragnarok [knight's sword]

Shellja [White Mage] Harmony [Mystic] Durandal [knight's sword]

Wall [White Mage] Dispel [Templar] Onion Armor [armor]

Kiyomori [Samurai] Dischord [Squidraken] Lordly Robe [robe]

Nameless Song [Bard] Dispelja [Arch Seraph] Sortile'ge [perfume]

Aegis [Princess/Cleric] Tynar Rouge [lip rouge]

Shell Nymph [Treant/

Elder Treant]



---HASTE---

Appearance: Character animates quickly

Effect : CT gauge fills more quickly

Granted by: Remove with: Permanently granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Haste [Time Mage] After time elapses Moonblade [sword]

Hasteja [Time Mage] Harmony [Mystic] Excalibur [knight sword]

Masamune [Samurai] Dispel [Templar] Brigand's Gloves [gloves]

Nameless Song [Bard] Dischord [Squidraken] Septie`me [perfume]

Aegis [Princess/Cleric] Dispelja [Arch Seraph] Tynar Rouge [lip rouge]



---Negative Status-------------------------------------------------------------



Some abilities and weapons will inflict one of several negative status changes

on a target. As with positive status changes, there are also abilities that

can remove this bad status. In addition, some pieces of equipment render a

character immune to a particular status change -- it can't even be inflicted on

the character to begin with.



Note that while Dragon's Gift can remove many status ailments, it only works

on monsters from the dragon and hydra families.



A few abilities can inflict several different status changes. In most cases,

the ability inflicts only ONE status change per target, and this particular

status effect is random. These abilities include Forbidden Dance, Celestial

and Corporeal Void, Finishing Touch, and Nightmare. NOT included in this list

are Bad Breath, Parasite, Grand Cross, and Poisonous Frog, which can all

inflict multiple status changes per target, making them particularly vicious!



All negative status effects except Traitor are removed at the end of a battle,

and many wear off sooner.



---SLEEP---

Appearance: Character kneels, "Zzz" icon

Effect : Character cannot do anything

Character receives additional damage received from physical

attacks

Chance to steal from character increases

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Mimic Darlavon [Orator] Any HP damage Grand Helm [helm]

Repose [Mystic] After time elapses Barette [hair adornment]

Will-o'-the-Wisp [Geom.] Character is KOed Ribbon [hair adornment]

Forbiddn Dance [Dancer] Remedy [Chemist] Mirage Vest [clothes]

Celestial Void [Skyseer] Purification [Monk] Protect Ring [ring]

Corporeal Void [Nethersr.] Esuna [White Mage/Celebrant]

Sleep [Templar/Celebrant] Dispelna [Princess/Cleric]

Parasite [Byblos] Dragon's Gift [Dragonkin]

Zwill Straightblade [knife]

Sleep Blade [sword]

Sleep Touch [Ghoul]

Bad Breath [Malboro/

Greater Malboro]

Dark Whisper [Tiamat]

Toot [Swine]

Nightmare [The Impure/Death

Seraph]

Grand Cross [High/Arch Seraph]



---POISON---

Appearance: Skull icon; character glows green

Effect : Character's HP decreases after each turn

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Poison [Black Mage] After time elapses Cachusha [hair adornment]

Forbidden Dance [Dancer] Salve [Squire/Game Hunter] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Celestial Void [Skyseer] Antidote, Remedy [Chemist] Onion Gloves [gauntlets]

Corporeal Void [Nethersr.] Purification [Monk] Japa Mala [armlet]

Parasite [Byblos] Esuna [White Mage/Celebrant]

Poison Rod [rod] Dispelna [Princess/Cleric]

Poison Bow [crossbow] Dragon's Gift [Dragonkin]

Venom Fang [Red Panther, Eight-fluted Pole [pole]

Coeurl] Choco Esuna [Chocobo,

Bad Breath [Malboro, Black Chocobo]

Greater Malboro]

Bio [The Impure/Reaver]

Grand Cross [High/Arch Seraph]

Poisonous Frog [Serpentarius]



---BLIND---

Appearance: Sunglasses icon

Effects : Doubles enemy evade rate when you use physical attacks

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Umbra [Mystic] Salve [Squire/Game Hntr] Grand Helm [helm]

Sandstorm [Geomancer] Eye Drops [Chemist] Cachusha [hair adornment]

Blind [Templar] Remedy [Chemist] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Eye Gouge [Goblin, Purification [Monk] Onion Gloves [gauntlets]

Gobbledygook] Esuna [White Mage/Celeb.] Japa Mala [armlet]

Ink [Mindflayer family] Dragon's Gift [Dragonkin]

Blind Knife [knife] Eight-fluted Pole [pole]

Chaosbringer [fell sword] Choco Esuna [Chocobo,

Knightslayer [crossbow] Black Chocobo]

Bio [The Impure/Reaver]

Darkness [Death Seraph]

Blindja [Death Seraph]

Grand Cross [High/Arch Seraph]



---OIL---

Appearance: Character turns gray, oil drop icon

Effect : Receive double damage from next fire-elemental attack

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Parasite [Byblos] Any fire attack nothing

Self-Destruct [Bomb family]Remedy [Chemist]

Oily Touch [Ghoul/Ghast] Dragon's Gift [Dragonkin]

Bad Breath [Malboro, Eight-fluted Pole [pole]

Greater Malboro]

Bio [The Impure/Reaver]



---STONE---

Appearance: Character turns completely gray and stops moving

Effect : Character cannot do anything or take damage

If all characters KOed and turned to Stone, battle is lost

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Induration [Mystic/Loffry] Gold Needle [Chemist] Barette [hair adornment]

Contortion [Geomancer] Remedy [Chemist] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Seal Evil* [Machinist, Purification [Monk] Mirage Vest [clothes]

Sky Pirate] Esuna [White Mage/Celeb.] Onion Gloves [gauntlets]

Break [Templar] Dispelna [Princess/Cleric] Jade Armlet [armlet]

Finishing Touch [Soldier] Choco Esuna [Chocobo,

Parasite [Byblos] Black Chocobo]

Chaos Blade [knight's sword]

Stoneshooter# [gun]

Blaster [Coeurl,

Vampire Cat]

Bewitching Gaze [Ahriman,

Plague Horror]

Beak [Steelhawk,

Cockatrice]

Bad Breath [Malboro,

Greater Malboro

Biora [The Impure/Reaver]

Bioga [The Impure/Reaver]

Petrify [Gigas/Assassin/The Wroth]

Grand Cross [High/Arch Seraph]



* Note 1: Seal Evil is only effective against undead targets.

# Note 2: The Stoneshooter inflicts Stone on targets, but it also causes the

user to begin the battle with Stone status.



---SILENCE---

Appearance: "..." word balloon

Effect : Cannot use Magick, Summons, Speechcraft, or Ultima. (Arithmeticks

and Spellblade are unaffected!)

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Sylph [Summoner] Salve [Squire/Game Huntr] Brass Coronet [hat]

Quiescence [Mystic/Loffry] Echo Herbs [Chemist] Gold Hairpin [hat]

Snowstorm [Geomancer] Remedy [Chemist] Cachusha [hair adornment]

Forbidden Dance [Dancer] Purification [Monk] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Hallowed Bolt [Holy Esuna [White Mage, Magick Ring [ring]

Knight, Sword Saint, Celebrant]

White Knight, Rune Knt] Choco Esuna [Chocobo,

Celestial Void [Skyseer] Black Chocobo]

Corporeal Void [Nethersr.] Dispelna [Princess/Cleric]

Silence [Templar/Celebrant]

Parasite [Byblos]

Mage Masher [knife]

Bewitching Gaze [Ahriman,

Plague Horror]

Bad Breath [Malboro,

Greater Malboro]

Biora [The Impure/Reaver]

Aphony [Gigas/The Wroth]

Grand Cross [High/Arch Seraph]



---TOAD---

Appearance: Character is a small toad

Effect : Can't use any abilities except regular attacks and the Toad magick.

Stats down.

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Toad [Black Mage] Maiden's Kiss [Chemist] Cachusha [hair adornment]

Torrent [Geomancer] Remedy [Chemist] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Forbidden Dance [Dancer] Purification [Monk] Onion Gloves [gauntlets]

Celestial Void [Skyseer] Esuna [White Mage/Celeb.] Japa Mala [armlet]

Corporeal Void [Nethersr.] Toad [Black Mage]

Parasite [Byblos] Dragon's Gift [Dragonkin]

Nagnarok [sword] Eight-fluted Pole [pole]

Bad Breath [Malboro, Dispelna [Princess/Cleric]

Greater Malboro]

Toadja [Death Seraph]

Grand Cross [High/Arch Seraph]

Poisonous Frog [Serpentarius]



---SLOW---

Appearance: Character animates slowly

Effect : CT gauge charges more slowly

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Slow, Slowja [Time Mage] After time elapses Cachusha [hair adorment]

Ama-no-Murakumo [Samurai] Eight-flued Pole [pole] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Unholy Sacrifice [Dark Knt.] Onion Gloves [gauntles]

Wind Blast [Geomancer] Diamond Bracelet [armlet]

Forbidden Dance [Dancer] Empyreal Armband [armlet]

Celestial Void [Skyseer]

Corporeal Void [Nethersr.]

Arondight [fell sword]

Slasher [axe]

Ague [The Impure]

Biora [The Impure/Reaver]

Grand Cross [High/Arch Seraph]



---STOP---

Appearance: Character stops animating

Effect : CT gauge does not charge; character cannot do anything

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Stop [Time Mage] After time elapses Barette [hair adornment]

Tanglevine [Geomancer] Dragon's Gift [Dragonkin] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Forbidden Dance [Dancer] Eight-fluted Pole [pole] Black Garb [clothes]

Crushing Blow [Dark Knt.] Dispelna [Princess/Cleric] Onion Gloves [gauntlets]

Judgment Blade [Holy Choco Esuna [Chocobo, Jade Armlet [armlet]

Knight, Sword Saint, Black Chocobo] Empyreal Armband [armlet]

White Knt., Rune Knt.]

Finishing Touch [Soldier]

Celestial Stasis [Astrol.]

Balmung [fell sword]

Blaster [Coeurl/Vampire Cat]

Shadowbind [Assassin]

Bind [Death Seraph, Bringer of Order]



---IMMOBILIZE---

Appearance: Gold arrow plus red X

Effect : Cannot use "Move" menu to move around the battlefield, but can

still take actions while standing in place

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Immobilize [Time Mage] After time elapses Thief's Cap [hat]

Sinkhole [Geomancer] Purification [Monk] Cachusha [hair adornment]

Leg Shot [Machinist, Sky Esuna [White Mage/Celeb.] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Pirate] Dragon's Gift [Dragonkin] Onion Gloves [gauntlet]

Ancient Sword [sword] Eight-fluted Pole [pole] Rubber Boots [shoes]

Bewitching Gaze [Ahriman, Choco Esuna [Chocobo, Guardian Bracelet [armlt]

Plague Horror] Black Chocobo] Empyreal Armband [armlet]

Goo [Ochu] Dispelna [Princess/Cleric]

Celestial Stasis [Astrol.]



--DISABLE---

Appearance: Hand plus red X

Effect : Cannot perform any actions under "Act" menu or use Reaction

Abilities, but can still move around battlefield

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Hesitation [Mystic] After time elapses Thief's Cap [hat]

Wind Slash [Geomancer] Purification [Monk] Cachusha [hair adornment]

Disable [Templar/Celebr.] Esuna [White Mage/Celeb.] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Arm Shot [Machinist, Sky Dragon's Gift [Dragonkin] Onion Gloves [gauntlet]

Pirate] Eight-fluted Pole [pole] Guardian Bracelet [armlt]

Spellbinder [ninja blade] Choco Esuna [Chocobo,

Bewitching Gaze [Ahriman, Black Chocobo]

Plague Horror] Dispelna [Princess/Cleric]

Celestial Stasis [Astrol.]

Fowlheart [The Impure,

Death Seraph, The Wroth]



---DOOM---

Apperance : Countdown over character's head

Effect : Count decreases from 3 each time the character gets a turn; when

it hits 0, the character is KOed (before s/he can act)

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Doom Fist [Monk] When character is KOed Cachusha [hair adornment]

Condemn [Orator] White Staff [staff] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Quicksand [Geomancer] Reraise activation Onion Gloves [gauntlets]

Muramasa [Samurai] Protect Ring [ring]

Cleaning Strike [Holy

Knight, Sword Saint,

White Knt., Rune Knt.]

Assassin's Dagger [knife]

Deathbringer [fell sword]

Doom [Ahriman, Plague Horror]

Nightmare [The Impure/Death Seraph]



---VAMPIRE---

Appearance : Bat icon

Effect : Character is undead (see below) AND confused

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Vampire [Vampire Cat, Holy Water [Chemist] Barette [hair adornment]

Ark Knight] Dispelna [Princess/Cleric] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Onion Gloves [gloves]

Japa Mala [armlet]



---CHARM---

Appearance: Heart icon.

Effect : Character cannot be controlled, and temporarily fights as if on the

other team.

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Steal Heart* [Thief] Any HP damage Acacia Hat [hat]

Plunder Heart* [Sky Pirate] After time elapses Barette [hair adornment]

Pirate]

Faerie Harp [instrument] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Snort# [Swine, Wild Boar] Onion Gloves [gloves]

Allure* [Assassin] Nu Khai Armband [armlet]



* Only effective on humans of the opposite sex and on monsters.

# Only effective on humans (of either sex); not effective on monsters.

(Note that the Faerie Harp is effective against all targets!)



---TRAITOR---

Appearance: Character's portrait box displays "Guest" (if recruited to your

side) or "Enemy" (if recruited to enemy side)

Effect : Character has switched sides, and now fights as a member of the

other team. If the character has joined your team, you will have

the option of permanently recruiting the character after the

battle.

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Entice [Orator] Inflict Traitor on target Barette [hair adornment]

Tame [Orator, Dragonkin] again before end of Ribbon [hair adornment]

Dragon's Charm* [Dragonkin] battle Onion Gloves [gloves]

Cursed Ring [ring]

* Note: Dragon's Charm is only effective on dragons and hydras.



---BERSERK---

Appearance: Character is tinted red

Effect : Character's attack strength increases, but character can only use

physical attacks and cannot be controlled

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Insult [Orator] Purification [Monk] Acacia Hat [hat]

Fervor [Mystic] Esuna [White Mage/Celeb.] Barette [hair adornment]

Berserk [Templar] Dragon's Gift [Dragonkin] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Mind Blast [Squidraken, Onion Gloves [gloves]

Mindflayer] Magick Ring [ring]

Grand Cross [High/Arch Seraph]



---CONFUSE---

Appearance: Weird animation patterns, "?" icon

Effect : Character performs random movements & abilities, which may include

attacking allies and/or enemies.

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Delirium [Mystic/Loffrey] Physical attack Acacia Hat [hat]

Tremor [Geomancer] Remedy [Chemist] Barette [hair adornment]

Muramasa [Samurai] Purification [Monk] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Forbidden Dance [Dancer] Esuna [White Mage/Celeb.] Onion Gloves [gloves]

Divine Ruination [Holy Dispelna [Princess/Cleric] Nu Khai Armband [armlet]

Knight, Sword Saint, Dragon's Gift [Dragonkin]

White Knt., Rune Knt.]

Celestial Void [Skyseer]

Corporeal Void [Nethersr.]

Confuse [Templar/Celebr.]

Parasite [Byblos]

Lamia's Harp [instrument]

Mind Blast [Squidraken,

Mindflayer]

Bad Breath [Malboro,

Greater Malboro]

Toot [Swine]

Befuddle [Gigas/The Wroth]

Confuseja [Death Seraph]

Grand Cross [High/Arch Seraph]



---Neutral Status--------------------------------------------------------------



These are status conditions that aren't necessarily good or necessarily bad.



---REFLECT---

Appearance: No visible change

Effect : Most magick bounces off character and strikes another tile instead.

See ability lists for which magicks can be Reflected.

Granted by: Remove with: Permanently granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Reflect [Time Mage] Harmony [Mystic] Mirror Mail [armor]

Carbuncle [Summoner] Dispel [Templar] Reflect Ring [ring]

Lick [Ochu, Malboro] Dischord [Squidraken] Cherche [perfume]

Dispelja [Arch Seraph]



---UNDEAD---

Appearance: Character is tinted purple

Effect : All abilities that normally restore HP instead cause HP loss.

Abilities that normally remove KO instead cause instant KO.

Attacks that normally drain HP from you instead restore HP to you

and cause the user to lose HP.

Inflicted with: Remove with: Immunity granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Corruption [Mystic] Holy Water [Chemist] Cachusha [hair adornment]

Zombie [Templar] Ribbon [hair adornment]

Zombie Touch [Revenant] Onion Gloves [gloves]

Bioga [The Impure/Reaver] Japa Mala [armlet]



Permanently granted by:

-------------------------

Skeleton family

Ghost family

Cursed Ring [ring]



---ATHEIST---

Appearance: Ankh down icon

Effect : Character temporarily has 0 Faith, preventing him/her from using

magick and also rendering him/her immune to magick.

Also causes any Nether Manta abilities used by or targeting the

character to do 0 damage, even though these normally do more damage

when Faith is low.

Granted by: Remove with: Permanently granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Disbelief [Mystic] After time elapses Automaton monster job

Doubt [Templar]

Gokuu Pole [pole]



---FAITH---

Appearance: Ankh up icon

Effect : Character temporarily has 100 Faith, increasing both the damage

dealt by magick and the damage received by magick

Also causes any Nether Manta abilities used by or targeting the

character to do high damage, even though these normally do less

damage when Faith is high.

Granted by: Remove with: Permanently granted by:

------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------

Belief [Mystic] After time elapses Rod of Faith [rod]

Faith [Templar] Harmony [Mystic]

Rod of Faith [rod] Dispel [Templar]

Dischord [Squidraken]

Dispelja [Arch Seraph]



%%%ELEMENTAL AFFINITIES%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00elem



Many abilities and a few weapons have one of eight elemental affinities: Fire,

Lightning, Ice, Wind, Earth, Water, Holy, or Dark. By paying attention to

these elemental affinities, you can increase the power of your attacks and

decrease the damage from enemy abilities!



Elemental affinities can increase damage in two ways. First, many monsters are

weak to a particular element. An attack of this element will do DOUBLE its

usual damage! A few pieces of equipment will also make a character weak to an

element.



Second, some equipment "boosts" one or more elements. When you have such an

item equipped, any attacks you use of that element are 25% stronger. This is

in addition to any weakness effect. For example, if Luso has the Gaia Gear

(which Boosts: Earth) equipped, any earth attack he executes does 25% more

damage. The Boost effect does NOT "stack" -- equipping more than one boost for

the same element has no additional effect. For example, equipping both a Flame

Rod and a Japa Mala (both of which boost Fire) is the same as equipping just

the Flame Rod.



Elemental effects can be defended against in three main ways. Some equipment

will HALVE the damage you taken from a given element. Other equipment grants

you IMMUNITY to a particular element, which means that you take NO damage at

all from that element. Finally, some equipment ABSORBS an element, which means

that damage from that element is converted into a HP *gain*. (So, absorbing

water means that a water attack that normally does 200 HP damage will instead

restore 200 HP!) Many monsters also have some innate elemental defenses.



Finally, elemental affinities come into a play in a few other ways:

- The Oil status doubles damage received from fire attacks.

- The Float status makes a character immune to earth attacks.

- During a thunderstorm, fire attacks are 25% weaker and lightning attacks are

25% stronger. (A light rain has no effect on elemental damage.)

- During a snowstorm, ice attacks are 25% stronger. Note that there are only

snowstorms during specific story battles and never during random battles.



For each of the eight elements, the chart below lists which attacks carry that

element, and what is weak or strong against that element.



---Fire------------------------------------------------------------------------



ABILITIES WITH FIRE AFFINITY:

Fire [Black Mage, Flame Rod] Nether Ashura [Netherseer]

Fira [Black Mage, Flame Mace] Fire Breath [Holy Dragon, Dragonkin,

Firaga [Black Mage] Red Dragon]

Firaja [Black Mage] Flame Attack [Grenade]

Ifrit [Summoner] Spark [Exploder]

Salamander [Summoner] Breathe Fire [Minotaur, Sekhret]

Will-o'-the-Wisp [Geomancer] Tri-Flame [Greater Hydra, Tiamat]

Magma Surge [Geomancer] Meltdown [Bringer of Order]

Ashura [Skyseer]



WEAPONS WITH FIRE AFFINITY:

Flame Rod [rod] Blaze Gun [gun]

Flame Mace [flail] Flameburst Bomb [bomb]



Boosted by : Flame Rod, Kaiser Shield, Black Robe, Sage's Ring, Japa Mala



Weakness : Skeleton family, Ghost family, Treant family, Blue Dragon



Halved by : Ice Shield, Venetian Shield, Reverie Shield, White Robe

Immunity : Minerva Bustier, Automaton

Absorbed by : Flame Shield, Sage's Ring, Bomb family, Red Dragon



Any unit with the Oil status change receives double damage from fire attacks.

After being struck with a fire attack, the Oil status disappears.



During a thunderstorm, damage from fire attacks is decreased by 25%.



---Lightning-------------------------------------------------------------------



ABILITIES WITH LIGHTNING AFFINITY:

Thunder [Black Mage, Thunder Rod] Hell's Wrath [Netherseer]

Thundara [Black Mage] Thunder Breath [Holy Dragon, Dragonkin,

Thundaga [Black Mage, Lightning Bow] Red Dragon, Blue Dragon]

Thundaja [Black Mage] Thunder Anima [Skeleton]

Ramuh [Summoner] Tri-Thunder [Greater Hydra, Tiamat]

Heaven's Wrath [Skyseer]



WEAPONS WITH LIGHTNING AFFINITY:

Coral Sword [sword] Lightning Bow [bow]

Thunder Rod [rod] Gungnir [polearm]

Blaster [gun] Spark Bomb [bomb]



Boosted by : Thunder Rod, Kaiser Shield, Black Robe, Sage's Ring, Japa Mala



Weakness : Ice Shield, Mindflayer family, Automaton



Halved by : Venetian Shield, Reverie Shield, White Robe, Sage's Robe

Immunity : Minerva Bustier, Rubber Suit, Rubber Boots

Absorbed by : Sage's Ring



During a thunderstorm, damage from lightning attacks is increased by 25%. This

is in addition to any increase from Boosts and/or enemy Weaknesses.



---Ice-------------------------------------------------------------------------



ABILITIES WITH ICE AFFINITY:

Blizzard [Black Mage, Ice Rod] Snowstorm [Geomancer]

Blizzara [Black Mage] Ice Breath [Holy Dragon, Dragonkin, Blue

Blizzaga [Black Mage, Icebrand] Dragon]

Blizzaja [Black Mage] Ice Anima [Bonesnatch, Skeletal Fiend]

Shiva [Summoner]



WEAPONS WITH ICE AFFINITY:

Icebrand [sword] Glacial Gun [gun]

Ice Rod [rod] Ice Bow [bow]



Boosted by : Ice Rod, Kaiser Shield, Black Robe, Sage's Ring, Japa Mala



Weakness : Goblin family, Ahriman family, Malboro family, Hydra family,

Red Dragon



Halved by : Flame Shield, Venetian Shield, Reverie Shield, Minerva Bustier,

White Robe, Sage's Robe, Bomb family

Immunity : Automaton

Absorbed by : Ice Shield, Sage's Ring, Blue Dragon



During a snowstorm, damage from ice attacks is increased by 25%.



---Wind------------------------------------------------------------------------



ABILITIES WITH WIND FAMILY:

Wind Slash [Geomancer] Nether Blade [Skyseer]

Sandstorm [Geomancer] Wind Anima [Skeletal Fiend]

Wind Blast [Geomancer] Twister [Behemoth King, Ultima Demon]

Adamantine Blade [Skyseer] Tornado [Bringer of Order]



WEAPONS WITH WIND AFFINITY:

Air Knife [knife] Windslash Bow [bow]



Boosted by : Sage's Ring, Japa Mala



Weakness : Hydra family



Halved by : Reverie Shield, Sage's Robe, Ahriman family, Aevis family

Immunity : Minerva Bustier, Automaton

Absorbed by : Sage's Ring



---Earth-----------------------------------------------------------------------



ABILITIES WITH EARTH AFFINITY:

Shockwave [Monk] Impiety [Netherseer]

Titan [Summoner] Earthsplitter [Sekhret]

Tremor [Geomancer] Quake [Bringer of Order]

Divinity [Skyseer]



WEAPONS WITH EARTH AFFINITY:

none



Boosted by : Gaia Gear, Sage's Ring, Japa Mala



Weakness : Panther family, Aevis family



Halved by : Reverie Shield, Minerva Bustier, Sage's Robe

Immunity : Float status, Automaton

Absorbed by : Gaia Gear, Sage's Ring, Treant family



---Water-----------------------------------------------------------------------



ABILITIES WITH WATER AFFINITY:

Leviathan [Summoner] Maelstrom [Skyseer]

Torrent [Geomancer] Nether Maelstrom [Netherseer]

Quicksand [Geomancer] Water Anima [Skeleton, Bonesnatch]



WEAPONS WITH WATER AFFINITY:

none



Boosted by : Sage's Ring, Japa Mala



Weakness : Flame Shield, Bomb family, Minotaur family



Halved by : Reverie Shield, Minerva Bustier, Sage's Robe

Immunity : Automaton

Absorbed by : Sage's Ring, Mindflayer family



---Holy------------------------------------------------------------------------



ABILITIES WITH HOLY AFFINITY:

Holy [White Mage, Holy Lance] Holy Breath [Dragonkin]



WEAPONS WITH HOLY AFFINITY:

Durandal [knight's sword] Holy Lance [polearm]

Nirvana [staff]



Boosted by : Excalibur, Tynar Rouge, Sage's Ring, Japa Mala



Weakness : Skeleton family, Ghost family



Halved by : Reverie Shield, Minerva Bustier, Sage's Robe

Immunity : Automaton

Absorbed by : Excalibur, Chameleon Robe, Sage's Ring



---Dark------------------------------------------------------------------------



ABILITIES WITH DARK AFFINITY:

Lich [Summoner] Dark Whisper [Tiamat]

Unholy Sacrifice [Dark Knight] Unholy Darkness [Sorceror, Archaoedemon,

Ultima Demon]



WEAPONS WITH DARK AFFINITY:

ALL fell swords



Boosted by : Sage's Ring



Halved by : Reverie Shield, Sage's Robe, Nu Khai Armband

Immunity : Minerva Bustier, Automaton

Absorbed by : Sage's Ring, Skeleton family, Ghost family



%%%ARITHMETICKS CHART%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00arith



The chart below is a quick reference as to which numbers can be targeted by

each multiple when using Arithmetician. For example, characters at height = 3

will be hit by a Height Multiple of 3 or Height Prime spell, but not Height

Multiple of 4 or 5. You might find this chart handy when using Arithmeticks,

or trying to avoid enemy Arithmeticks attacks.



Some numbers, such as 34, can't be hit by ANY Arithmeticks multiple. (These

are numbers that are not prime but do not have 3, 4, or 5 as a factor.) These

numbers are indicated in the table by a solid horizonal line. If you expect to

face enemy Arithmeticians, you can use these numbers to help avoid their

attacks in two ways:

- As long as you stand on tiles with height of 0, 1, or any fractional number

(e.g. 2.5), you cannot be hit by Height-based Arithmeticks.

- If you have level 99 characters, you may want to level them down using a

Degenerator trap (e.g. at Zeklaus Desert) so that they can't be hit by Level

Multiple of 3.

That said, enemy Arithmeticians appear only very rarely.



QUICK LIST OF PRIME NUMBERS (ONLY DIVISIBLE BY THEMSELVES AND 1):

2 3 5 7 11 13 17

19 23 29 31 37 41 43

47 53 59 61 67 71 73

79 83 89 97



QUICK LIST OF NUMBERS NOT TARGETABLE:

0 1 14 22 26 34 38

46 49 58 62 74 77 82

86 91 94 98

All fractional height numbers (e.g. height = 2.5)



---FULL ARITHMETICKS CHART---

# MULT.3 MULT.4 MULT.5 PRIME | # MULT.3 MULT.4 MULT.5 PRIME

0 ------------------------------------ | 25 X

1 ------------------------------------ | 26 ----------------------------------

2 X | 27 X

3 X X | 28 X

4 X | 29 X

5 X X | 30 X X

6 X | 31 X

7 X | 32 X

8 X | 33 X

9 X | 34 ----------------------------------

10 X | 35 X

11 X | 36 X X

12 X X | 37 X

13 X | 38 ----------------------------------

14 ----------------------------------- | 39 X

15 X X | 40 X X

16 X | 41 X

17 X | 42 X

18 X | 43 X

19 X | 44 X

20 X X | 45 X X

21 X | 46 ----------------------------------

22 ----------------------------------- | 47 X

23 X | 48 X X

24 X X | 49 ----------------------------------



# MULT.3 MULT.4 MULT.5 PRIME | # MULT.3 MULT.4 MULT.5 PRIME

50 X | 75 X X

51 X | 76 X

52 X | 77 ----------------------------------

53 X | 78 X

54 X | 79 X

55 X | 80 X X

56 X | 81 X

57 X | 82 ----------------------------------

58 ----------------------------------- | 83 X

59 X | 84 X X

60 X X X | 85 X

61 X | 86 ----------------------------------

62 ----------------------------------- | 87 X

63 X | 88 X

64 X | 89 X

65 X | 90 X X

66 X | 91 ----------------------------------

67 X | 92 X

68 X | 93 X

69 X | 94 ----------------------------------

70 X | 95 X

71 X | 96 X X

72 X X | 97 X

73 X | 98 ----------------------------------

74 ----------------------------------- | 99 X

All fractional numbers ----------------------------------



%%%RANDOM BATTLES%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00rb



For now, I'm just listing the categories of monsters that appear in each

location; I'll update this with more details soon.



Mandalia Plain: Chocobo, Goblin, Panther

The Siedge Weald: Goblin, Bomb, Skeleton, Minotaur

Zeklaus Desert: Bomb, Avis, Minotaur, Skeleton

Lenalian Plataeu: Panther

Fovoham Windflats: Mindflayer, Avis, Minotaur, Goblin

Araguay Woods: Ghost, Skeleton, Dryad, Panther, Aevis, Malboro, Goblin

Zeirchele Falls: Mindflayer, Panther, Chocobo, Skeleton, Ahriman, Minotaur

Balias Tor: Chocobo, Bomb, Minotaur, Panther, Aevis

Tchigolith Fenlands: Panther, Ghost, Ahriman, Minotaur, Skeleton, Malboro, Bomb

Balias Swale: Chocobo, Goblin, Mindflayer, Panther

Grogh Heights: Chocobo, Bomb, Ahriman, Dragon

The Yuguewood: Ghost, Dryad, Panther

Mount Bervenia: Ahriman, Chocobo, Ghost, Behemoth, Bomb

Dugeura Pass: Chocobo, Panther, Avis, Minotaur, Behemoth

Finnath Creek: Chocobo, Mindflayer, Dragon

Beddha Sandwaste: Bomb, Panther, Skeleton, Aevis, Ahriman, Behemoth, Dragon

Mount Germinas: Chocobo, Panther, Minotaur, Aevis, Dragon

Lake Poescas: Bomb, Ghost, Skeleton, Behemoth

Dorvauldar Marsh: Goblin, Mindflayer, Dragon, Skeleton, Minotaur, Malboro



%%%VARIOUS TRICKS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00tricks



---PAUSE BATTLES---

If you push Triangle while the enemies are moving, the game will pause after

the current enemy stops moving. (When you press Triangle, you'll hear a chime

sound indicating the pause was activated.) Once paused, you can check out

everyone's status. When you're done, just click on any character and choose

Done to resume.



---EVASION RATES---

You've probably noticed that the status screen features three numbers for each

character's evade rate. The first number, C-Ev, comes from the character's

current class/job. It's effective only against attacks from the FRONT. The

second number, S-Ev, comes from the character's shield; it's effective against

attacks from the front and side, but NOT from the back. The final number,

A-Ev, comes from the character's accessory (i.e., cloaks) and is effective

against ALL attacks.



And, of course, there are separate evade rates for both physical and magick

attacks. No job actually has a magick C-Ev greater than 0, so magick can be

evaded only with a shield or cloak.



You can plan your attacks with these evade rates in mind. If an enemy has a

shield, attack him or her from behind. (Note that if an enemy doesn't have a

shield, attacking from the side or behind are equally effective.) If an enemy

has a high overall physical evade rate, use magick -- or guns, which ignore

evade rates completely. Finally, equipping the Archer's Concentration ability

completely prevents your physical attacks from being evaded. And, of course,

positioning your own characters so that their backs/sides can't be attacked

helps you evade enemy attacks.



Note that the Shirahadori, First Strike, and Archer's Bane reaction abilities

stop attacks outright and are independent of evade rate.



---SHOOT ENEMIES NEXT TO YOU---

Normally, you can't shoot enemies close to you with a bow or gun, but all you

have to do is target a square in a straight line behind the enemy you want to

hit (there doesn't even have to be anybody in the square). You'll end up

hitting the enemy in front of you.



---2ENEMIES1TURN.COM---

The Shoot Enemies Next To You trick above can be combined with Balthier's

Barrage ability to attack two or more different enemies in one turn. This only

works if Balthier has a weapon with a range of 2 or more, and if the enemies

are both in a line from Balthier (and within range of his weapon). Target the

enemy that's further back with Barrage. Balthier will use a series of four

attacks; of course, the initial strikes will actually hit the enemy closer to

Balthier. However, once that first enemy is KOed, Balthier will continue

attacking and hit his "original" target -- the enemy in back! This way, you

can divide your damage between two targets instead of wasting a lot of damage

finishing off an enemy that was already low on HP. This trick works with guns,

bows, polearms, and any other weapon with a range of 2 or more.



---CURING & DRAINING THE UNDEAD---

As per Final Fantasy standards, undead enemies take damage when hit with Cure

spells, and the Arise spell works like an instant KO attack! (Raise will also

do damage equal to 1/2 of the enemy's max HP -- thus KOing if it's at half HP

or below.) On the other hand, undead characters are also *immune* to attacks

that drain HP to the user, like the Blood Sword or the Mystic's Invigoration.

These attacks backfire if used against an undead monster! (The undead monster

gains HP, and you lose HP!)



Undead characters include monsters from the Skeleton and Ghost families, as

well as human enemies in a few story battles, units who have had the Mystic

spell Corruption cast on them, and any ally equipped with the Cursed Ring.



Note that the Chakra ability actually restores HP to undead monsters and does

not damage them.



---STOP UNDEAD REVIVAL---

Normally, KOed units disappear and turn into a crystal or chest when their

countdown hits 0. Undead monsters or humans, however, may instead resurrect

themselves with full HP! Fortunately, there's two easy ways to stop this:

First, you can turn the undead unit to stone, so it's never actually KOed.

The Seal Evil ability used by Mustadio and Balthier works great for this.

Second, for undead monsters, you can Poach or Tame them. Poached monsters

disappear from the map completely (and hence can't resurrect), and Tamed

monsters will actually fight on your side!



---CRYSTAL LOOT---

When you collect a crystal from a defeated enemy human and select Acquire

Abilities, you can point the cursor to any of several abilities. Don't be

fooled! You're not making a choice here, you actually learn ALL the abilities

listed. This makes collecting crystals a great way to learn abilities quickly!



---FRIENDLY (AND UNFRIENDLY) FIRE)---

Most magicks affect not just the targeted character or tile, but also the

surrounding panels. (The radius of this effect varies from magick to magick.)

Geomancy, Iaido, and a number of sword techniques and monster abilities also

have this effect. This area effect can of course be used to hit multiple

enemies, but you can also exploit it in a number of other ways. If an enemy

is a little too far out of range to target directly with the magick, you may

still be able to target a somewhat closer tile and catch the enemy in the

wider effect radius. (This is a good tactic for hitting more distant enemies.)

The same is true for using White Magick or Time Magick to assist distant

allies.



Of course, you also need to watch out for a "friendly fire" effect when casting

magicks -- you don't want to hit your own characters in the effect radius! If

one of your allies is standing close to an enemy, you'll hurt him or her if you

target the enemy directly. So, one solution is to target a more remote panel

that will catch the enemy in the effect radius of your spell, but leave your

ally out of range. (Of course, this also works in reverse for when you want to

heal an ally, but not an enemy.) Just make sure the enemy won't be able to

move before the magick is cast.



Note that Summons and Iaido abilities ONLY target the "correct" units. They

won't hurt allies, or heal enemies.



---IMPROVE STEALING ODDS---

You can boost the success rate of the Steal command in a number of ways:

- Put the enemy to Sleep - using a Sleep Blade weapon, Mimic Darlavon

(Orator), Repose (Mystic), etc.

- Target the enemy from behind or to the side, so the move will be harder to

evade.

- Putting Disable status on the enemy (e.g. with Arm Shot) will also prevent

the enemy from evading, although the steal may still fail.

- Equip Concentration (Archer) or Brawler (Monk) as a support ability. (If

you're using Concentration, then there's no need to try to steal from behind

as the enemy can't evade anyway.)

- Increase your Speed statistic, or decrease the enemy's Speed. Or, switch

your stealing character to a job that has a high speed rating (e.g. Thief or

Ninja)

- Use Balthier's Plunder abilities, which have a somewhat higher success rate

than the regular Steal command

- Surround the character from whom you're trying to steal with both your main

thief and a Mime; the Mime will duplicate all of your Steal attempts

- And, of course, stealing using a character who has good Zodiac compatibility

with the target will improve your success, though you often don't have a lot

of options here...

It's helpful to use one or more of these tactics if you're interested in

stealing enemy gear, as the Steal command has a pretty low success rate

otherwise.



---AUTO-X-POTION---

The Auto-Potion reaction ability normally causes you to (sometimes) use a

Potion when attacked. However, if there aren't any Potions in your inventory,

you'll use a Hi-Potion instead, and if there aren't any Hi-Potions, you'll use

an X-Potion. Once you start getting Hi-Potions and X-Potions, then, it's

actually a great idea to throw out your weaker potions so Auto-Potion will

only use Hi-Potions or X-Potions -- you can heal yourself for a lot more HP

that way! (This trick is particularly important in the Wiegraf battle in

Chapter III.)



---REVIVE THE LIVING---

Annoyed by long charge times for Raise spells? Well, who says you can't start

charging the spell before the target dies? If somebody's low on life and you

know they're going to die, start charging up Raise or (preferably) Arise.

And if they fail to die for Arise, kill them and the Arise will bring them

back to full health! (why waste the spell?)



---THUNDERSTORM AND SNOWSTORMS---

During a thunderstorm, lightning-elemental attacks do 125% normal damage and

fire-elemental attacks do 75% normal damage. Movement through swamp tiles is

also slowed during a storm. These effects occur only during a thunderstorm

(when the screen occasionally flashes) and not during a light rain.



During a snowstorm, ice-elemental attacks do 125% normal damage. Snowstorms

only occur during a handful of story battles and never during random battles.



---LAST-SECOND SILENCE CURE---

Silence status prevents you from casting magick or summons, but all that

matters is whether or not you're Silenced at the time the magick is actually

cast, not when you start charging. It's possible to start casting magick while

you're Silenced and *then* have someone else remove the Silence effect, as long

as you do so before the magick finishes charging. This can come in handy if

your magick-user happens to get his/her turn before the character who can

remove Silence. It's also useful if you get Silenced while in the middle of

charging a spell -- if you quickly cure the Silence, you can still use your

spell.



You can also use the timing of Silence in dealing with enemy magicks -- e.g.,

casting Silence on an enemyshortly before his or her magick activates will

cancel the spell.



Note that Silence also prevents the use of Speechcraft, but since Speechcraft

abilities all activate instanteously, these timing effects don't come into

play.



---TIME OF THE SEASONS---

As in Final Fantasy XII, Ivalice alternates between wet and dry seasons. Each

year has two wet seasons (Gemini/Cancer and Sagittarius/Capricon/Aquarius) and

two dry ones (Leo/Virgo/Libra/Scorpio and Pisces/Aries/Taurus). Thunderstorms

(see above) are more common during the "Wet" months than the "Dry" ones.



---MONSTER EGG PREVIEW---

Trying to breed a particular kind of monster? You can actually take a "sneak

peek" as to what an egg will hatch into. Open your party roster, position

the cursor over the egg in question, and move the cursor back and forth to

another party member to the left or right. When you move over the egg, the

future monster's portrait will display for a fraction of a second, and if you

can move back and forth quickly, you can get a decent glimpse of what the

monster is going to be. You can identify the monster family by its portrait,

and from the color scheme, you might even be able to tell which monster it is

within that family. (See the Monsters list for the color scheme of each

monster type.) If the monster in the egg is not what you want, you can go

ahead and dismiss the egg.



---LEARNING ULTIMA---

Luso's Game Hunter job and Ramza's Chapter IV Squire job both have an extra

ability that can't be learned with JP: Ultima! This ability can only be

learned by having Ramza or Luso be hit with the spell while he is in the

relevant job. In the main game, the best time to learn this ability is the

Limberry Castle Gate, where Celia and Lettie will cast the spell on you. You

can also learn it from them in the subsequent Limberry Castle Keep, and Luso

can also learn it on the roof of Riovanes Castle at the end of Chapter III.

Ultima Demons also cast the spell, but more rarely; these appear in the third

battle at Limberry Castle and the third battle at Mullonde Cathedral.



Once you've acquired the spell, you can have Ramza and Luso cast it on the

other to learn it that way. You can even learn Ultima in the multiplayer mode

by having one of the other player's character cast it on you. (Note that only

Ramza's "Chapter IV" version can learn Ultima.) This is a great way to still

get the spell in case you miss it during the main quest.



During the final battle, Alma can also learn Ultima if Ramza or Luso casts it

on her, and all three can learn Ultima from the Ultima Demons present.



---LEARNING ZODIARK---

Similar to Ultima, the strongest summon magick also can't be learned with JP.

This one can only be learned from the boss at the end of Midlight's Deep, the

bonus dungeon. You only have a single chance to learn this one. Like Ultima,

the magick is learned by having the boss cast it on a character currently in

the Summoner job. If you take at least 1 HP or MP damage and survive the

magick, you'll be given a 90% chance of learning Zodiark. (If you don't learn

it the first time, you'll be given another chance each time the boss casts the

magick.) The easiest way to survive Zodiark is to use the Mana Shield reaction

ability (Time Mage); for additional tactics, check the Midlight's Deep battle

strategies.



After learning Zodiark from the boss, you can also teach it other allies, but

only through a rather roundabout manner. Since you can't cast summons directly

on allies, you'll have to first cast Zodiark onto an enemy Summoner, and then

have the enemy Summoner cast it onto the intended ally. Use Magic Break on

your Zodiark caster first to make sure s/he doesn't accidentally kill the enemy

Summoner. Since Zodiark costs 99 MP, you'll also need to make sure the enemy

Summoner's MP stays above 99 (using Ethers or Chakra) or s/he won't ever cast

Zodiark.



Alternately, if you KO the enemy Summoner after s/he has learned Zodiark and

let him turn into a crystal, you can also learn Zodiark that way. Of course,

there's no guarantee that the enemy will turn into a crystal (or that the

crystal will contain Zodiark), but this tactic can be good if you're having

trouble getting the enemy Summoner to cast Zodiark.



---LEARNING MAGICK FROM BEING HIT---

In addition to Ultima and Zodiark, there are a few other magicks that can be

learned from being hit with the magick (see list below). In all cases, the

character learning the magick must be in the appropriate job -- for example,

you can only learn Blizzaja this way if you're currently a Black Mage. The

character must lose or gain at least 1 HP or MP in damage/healing from the

spell, and must not be KOed or otherwise incapacitated (e.g. Stopped).



The odds of learning magicks this way is much lower for other magicks besides

Ultima and Zodiark.



Since summons can only be cast on enemy units, they can only be learned from

enemy Summoners. Other magicks can be learned by having one friendly unit cast

it on another.



A list of the magicks learnable this way and the chance of learning them per

cast:



Curaja (White Mage) - 40% chance

Protectja (White Mage) - 10% chance

Shellja (White Mage) - 10% chance

Firaja (Black Mage) - 30% chance

Thundaja (Black Mage) - 30% chance

Blizzaja (Black Mage) - 30% chance

Hasteja (Time Mage) - 20% chance

Slowja (Time Mage) - 20% chance

Bahamut (Summoner) - 20% chance

Odin (Summoner) - 20% chance

Leviathan (Summoner) - 40% chance

Salamander (Summoner) - 30% chance

Lich (Summoner) - 20% chance

Cyclops (Summoner) - 10% chance

Zodiark (Summoner) - 90% chance (see "Learning Zodiark" above)

Ultima (Squire [Ramza]- 100% chance (see "Learning Ultima" above)

Game Hunter

Cleric)



Magicks that are not on the above list *cannot* be learned in this way.



Teaching your characters the -ja attack spells this way can be particularly

helpful if you're trying to have multiple characters master Black Mage to

unlock Dark Knight.



---RARE RANDOM BATTLES---

There are a number of "special" random battles at particular wilderness

locations. If you enter these location heading the correct direction, there's

a chance you'll sometimes get into an unusual random battle. (They don't

ALWAYS show up.) Nothing tells you explicitly that you're in one of these

battles, but they feature novel enemy parties.



For instance, you can enter a battle against a large team of enemy Monks if

entering Grogh Heights from the south, and one against a team of enemy Samurai

entering the Yuguewood from the east. Mount Germinas has a rare battle against

some gun-wielding Chemists and Orators, where you can steal additional copies

of the magick guns, and sometimes the Stoneshooter (see below). Mandalia

Plains has a battle against a large set of enemy dragons.



---THE STONESHOOTER---

The Stoneshooter is an unusual weapon ... it's the strongest gun without a

"magical" effect, but it's not without some drawbacks. If you equip it, you're

turned to stone at the start of the battle! If you de-stone the character with

an item or spell, he or she can then fight normally, but the gun isn't all

that strong and doesn't have any special effects. It's not worth the hassle,

in my opinion.



Where to find the Stoneshooter? Occasionally, at Mount Germinas, you'll get

into a random battle where you'll see one of the enemy Chemists turned into

stone at the start of the battle. That's because he's equipped with the

Stoneshooter. Use a Remedy or Esuna to de-stone him and then you can steal the

Stoneshooter. (You can also get the Stoneshooter by poaching a Dark Behemoth,

although this is the "rare" poach.)



---THE INVISIBILITY CLOAK---

Also found at Mount Germinas is the Invisibility Cloak, an accessory that gives

a character an automatic Invisibilty at the start of every battle. The Cloak

can be found during the initial story battle, or later during a random battle.

To get the cloak, put the Treasure Hunter ability and move to the very top of

the peak. The top of the peak forms sort of an "L" shape; the tile holding the

Cloak is the one between the two "legs" of the L:

___

/

/ X

--/ --

When you land on this tile, you'll receive either an Ether or the Cloak; your

chance of getting the Cloak goes up the lower your Bravery. You only get to

pick up the item once, so if you get the Ether, you can no longer get the

Cloak.



---SOUND TEST---

To access a "sound test" where you can listen to all the game's music, select

New Game on the title screen and then enter your name as PolkaPolka . You'll

immediately be brought to the sound test. Just turn the game off when you're

done.



---STEPPING STONES---

You can use Construct 8 as a stepping stone to reach high places -- another

character can move onto its head as it were a normal panel, and move from there

to somewhere else. You can't END your move on top of Construct 8, but you can

use it for a mid-move boost. In addition, Holy Dragon Reis, malboros, dragons,

and hydras can all be used the same way... even enemy ones!



---RIDING CHOCOBOS---

It's actually not too useful, but you can ride Chocobos. Move a character onto

the same tile as a friendly chocobo (of any color). The character will mount

the chocobo and they'll move and act as a single unit. Basically, this allows

you to have a human character with the movement range of a Chocobo. All

Chocobos have a nice movement range (6), and Black Chocobos can fly ... but, in

most cases, it's probably not worth taking up a whole slot on your battle team

with a Chocobo.



---CATCH RARE WEAPONS---

Rare weapons like the Excalibur and Whale Whisker can't be bought in stores ...

but there's a way to get an infinite supply of them! They're thrown by high-

level (90+) enemy Ninjas, and if you equip the Thief's Sticky Fingers reaction

ability, you can catch the thrown weapons and add them to your inventory. You

can find lots of enemy Ninjas on level 9 of Midlight's Deep, The Interstice,

but you'll have to raise your own levels until you start seeing level 90+

Ninjas. Unfortunately, rare weapons that can't be thrown, like staves and

rods, can't be attainable in this way, so they're one (or two) of a kind.



---MONSTER COMPATIBILITY---

When it comes to calculating Zodiac compatibility, monsters are actually

considered a third sex. All monsters are considered to be the same sex as

each other (maybe that explains why they all lay eggs), but they're all

considered to be "different sex" vs. any human.



---ROD OF FAITH---

The Rod of Faith, found on the fourth floor (The Catacombs) of the Midlight's

Deep bonus dungeon, has an interesting effect. While equipped with the Rod,

a character has permanent Faith status, giving him or her 100 Faith. Of

course, this is good simply for making your own magick maximally powerful, but

it also allows you to make a more versatile character. Whenever the Rod is

removed, the character's Faith reverts back to its "normal" value. So, if you

want a flexible character who can also defend well against enemy magick, lower

his or her Faith very low (as close to 03 as you can). Without the Rod

equipped, the character is virtually invulnerable to enemy magick and makes a

good fighter. But *with* the Rod equipped, s/he is now a high-Faith magick

user! Using the Reequip ability, you could even make this change mid-battle,

although it costs you a turn.



The Rod of Faith can also be particularly useful for Marach. Normally, his

Nether Mantra abilities require LOW Faith while other magicks require HIGH

Faith, meaning he can't really effectively use both. However, the Faith effect

maximizes the damage from both regular magick and Nether Mantra, allowing him

to use both types of abilities effectively.



Since there's only one Rod of Faith available, though, you can only use this

tactic with a single character at a time.



---QUICK UNEQUIP---

When removing characters' equipment, if you select Remove and then tap left on

the D-pad, all of the character's item slots will be highlighted. You can then

equip all of the character's gear in a single click. This is handy when you're

stripping a character you won't be using for a while, or when you're

transferring one character's set of equipment to another equipment.



---ALL 9 FEVER--

Once you max out at level 99 and 99 experience, you can easily cast healing or

defensive magicks to your whole party using Arithmeticks and Level Multiple of

3 or Exp Multiple of 3. (Of course, you might hit a few enemies too.)



---BONUS COIN---

The amount of bonus gil you receive at the end of the battle is equal to the

combined level of the enemies times 100.



---DISMISSAL VIA CRYSTAL---

If you have a character you're going to dismiss anyway, you can instead send

him or her into a battle, get him or her killed, and have one of your other

characters pick up the crystal. This will allow the other character to at

least learn some of the "dismissed" character's abilities, and you were going

to remove him/her from your roster anyway. (There's only a random chance of

getting a crystal, but you can keep trying this until you get a crystal.)



Of course, doing this will count as a Casualty on your Chronicle screen, so if

you want a spotless save file, you won't want to use this tactic.



---SWORD TECHNIQUES WITHOUT A SWORD---

Here's an unusual bug to beware of: Normally, you need to have a sword equipped

to use any of the "sword technique" commands possessed by many of the special

characters. However, there's a bug where enemies (or Charmed allies) can

sometimes use sword techniques even without a sword! This seems to happen if

an enemy is first put in an abnormal status condition such as Sleep that

prevents him or her from acting normally (including allies being Charmed), and

you then steal or rend that enemy's sword. In this case, the sword techniques

don't get "switched off" and the enemy will still be able to use the

techniques. Unfortunately, this only works for enemy characters, not your own

characters, so it's less a trick and more something to watch out for!



*******************************************************************************

XIV. MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE

*******************************************************************************



%%%ZODIAC STONE LOCATIONS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00stones



!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!



Aries -- Get when you beat Wiegraf in Riovanes Castle.

Taurus -- In Mustadio's possession; you receive it after the battle in Goug

Machine City. Re-obtained in Riovanes Castle.

Gemini -- Received after defeating Elmdore.

Cancer -- Received after defeating Construct 7. [optional]

Libra -- T.G. Cid (Orlandeau) has it; you'll get it when he joins

Scorpio -- Received after you defeat Delacroix. Re-obtained in Riovanes

Castle.

Sagittarius -- Meliadoul has it; you'll get it when she joins.

Capricorn -- Obtained after killing Adrammelech.

Aquarius -- Given by Beowulf when he joins. [optional]

Pisces -- Received from Isilud in Riovanes Castle.

Leo -- You never get this one, Folmarv has it.

Virgo -- As above; Folmarv also has this one.

Serpentarius -- Receive after you defeat Elidibus in Midlight's Deep.

[optional]



!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!



%%%FMV MOVIE LIST%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00fmv



!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!



This is a list of the FMV cutscenes (found only in the PSP release).



#1: Title Screen

#2: New game -- Delita escapes with Ovelia captive



--Chapter I--

#3: Ramza thinks about Argath's words. Whistling with a blade of grass.

#4: Ziekden Fortress explodes; Ramza disappears in the snow.



--Chapter II--

#5: Ramza and Delita speak at Zeirchele Falls; Delita leaves Ovelia in Ramza's

care. Flashback to Tietra's demise.

#6: Ramza and Delita meet again in Warjilis Port City.



--Chapter III--

#7: At Zeltennia, Ovelia and Delita discuss their personal histories. Delita

pledges to build a new Ivalice.

#8: Luso is pursued by Behemoths across Zeklaus Desert; Ramza throws a sword

to rescue him.



--Chapter IV--

#9: Delita's reveals the Church's plans to Ramza at a church in Zeltennia.

Zalmour arrives and surrounds the church.

#10: Thieves ambush Ramza in Dorter; Balthier appears on the scene. [optional;

only seen if you complete the Recruiting Balthier subquest]

#11: Ending. Account of Alazlam discovering Orran's papers. Ramza and Alma

ride off into the sunset.

#12: End credits.



!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!



%%%FF REFERENCES%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00ffr



I haven't included FF series mainstays like the classes, summon monster gang,

Chocobos and other monsters, Cid, etc. just the references to specific games.



Final Fantasy I:

Wonders: Mirage Tower, Fortress of Trials, Matoya Cave, Shrine of Chaos

Artefacts: Rat's Tail



Final Fantasy II:

Wonders: Pandaemonium, Semitt Falls, Shrine of Chaos (Jade)

Artefacts: Minwu Orb



Final Fantasy III:

Wonders: Forbidden Land Eureka, Crystal Tower, Falgabard, Tozus Village

Errands: Enterprise, Yggdrasil (World Tree), Chocobo Restaurant Gisahl

Other: Salonia (Materia), Unei (in proposition "Endless Caverns")



Final Fantasy IV:

Wonders: Tower of Babel, Castle of Trials, Chocobo Forest

Artefacts: Lugae, Calcobrena, Rat's Tail

Errands: Enterprise, Anna and Gilbert [Edward], Assault

Door ("Minimum's Melancholy")



Final Fantasy V:

Wonders: Ronkan Ruins

Artefacts: Excalipoor

Other: Almagest spell, Boco, Byblos, Apanda, Mossfungus (Mossfungus

is an enemy in the last dungeon)



Final Fantasy VI:

Wonders: Phantom Train, Floating Continent

Errands: Setzer, Blackjack



Final Fantasy VII:

Artefacts: Materia, St. Elmo's Fire [attack used by Ghost Ships]

Errands: Black-caped man ("Nightwalker"), Highwind

Multiplayer Missions: Teioh the chocobo

Other: Cloud and Aerith (duhhh.....), Adamantainmai (mentioned

in a work history, it's an enemy near Wutai)



Ogre Battle:

Other: Zodiac Stones, Zeltennia



*******************************************************************************

XV. PSONE->PSP CHANGES

*******************************************************************************



%%%GAME CHANGES%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00psone



Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions was originally released in 1997

(Japan) and 1998 (North America) as Final Fantasy Tactics on the PSone.



Here's a list of the known changes between the 2007 PSP version and the

original 1997/1998 PSone version:



* Two new crossover characters have been added as party members: Balthier, from

Final Fantasy XII, and Luso, from the forthcoming Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

2 (try saying that two times fast!).



* Additional subquests and accompanying battles have been added to Chapter IV.

In addition to the mission to recruit Balthier, there are also the new Agrias's

Birthday, Disorder in the Order, and Lionel's New Liege Lord quests.



* Two new jobs are available for all characters: Dark Knight and Onion Knight.



* Two multiplayer modes have been added. One allows you to compete against

other player's team. The other has you team up with another player to clear a

variety of special missions. Both are playable only over an "Ad Hoc" (i.e.:

local) connection -- no Internet play, sadly.



* Key story scenes are now illustrated with cel-shaded animated cutscenes and

(in the English version) voice acting, instead of the in-game cutscenes and CG

movies of the original.



* There are a number of new story scenes and battles added to the main

storyline, including:

- Loffrey recruiting Wiegraf near the end of Chapter II.

- Delita traveling with Ovelia at Zeirchele Falls, also near the end of

Chapter II. (This scene also involves a new story battle!)

- Ramza's meeting with Luso in Chapter III and the battle to rescue him.

- As assasination attempt against Ovelia near the end of Chapter III.

(There's a new Delita battle here as well.)

- Delita demonstrating the blade-of-grass whistle to Ovelia soon after the

beginning of Chapter IV.

- A battle against Argath at Limberry Castle in Chapter IV.

- An additional battle against Cletienne in Dorter on the way back to Eagrose

in Chapter IV.



* The maximum roster size has been increased by 8 (from 16 to 24), to allow

you to add Luso and Balthier to your crew without having to kick out any of the

other story characters.



* Many abilities now cost more JP to learn.



* Job prerequisites have been changed--specifically, some jobs now require the

prerequisite jobs to be leveled up to a higher level. Additionally, the amount

of each JP to reach each job level (except job level 2) has also been

increased. In other words, jobs require much more JP to unlock.



* The Speed of some abilities has also been changed. Some abilities (mostly

Summons, plus a few Time Mage abilities and the Mystic's Petrify/Induration)

now take longer to charge.



* The sword techniques used by Meliadoul and Orlandeau can now still damage

enemies even if they don't have the relevant piece of equipment. This means

that these abilities can now damage monsters as well.

In fact, using these abilities against a character not equipped with the

relevant item (including monsters) *increases* the damage dealt. The specific

amount varies by ability:

- Crush Armor - bonus is user's Physical Attack stat times 5

- Crush Helm - bonus is user's Physical Attack stat times 4

- Crush Weapon - bonus is user's Physical Attack stat times 3

- Crush Accessory - bonus is user's Physical Attack stat times 2



* New pieces of equipment have been added. A few are obtainable in the single-

player game as Balthier's initial equipment and from the Agrias's Birthday

quest; the rest can only be found by completing the multiplayer missions.



* The quest to recruit Cloud is immediately after completing Fort Besselat (and

the other prerequisite subquests). In the PSone version, this quest could not

be done until substantially later--after defeating Adrammelech.



* It's no longer possible to steal any of Elmdore's equipment. Actually, this

is consistent with the original Japanese PSone release, where you couldn't

steal his equipment either--the ability to steal his gear is unique to the

North American PSone version.



* Rapha and Marach's Mantra abilities (a/k/a Truth and Un-Truth) have been

upgraded. Each use of one of these abilities results in 1 to 10 "strikes"

instead of 1 to 6 in the PSone version. They also seem to be more accurate and

are more likely to hit the targeted panel/unit rather than the adjoining

tables. Similarly, Reis's Holy Breath ability also has now 1-10 strikes

instead of 1-6.



* The "item duplication" trick/glitch (which allowed you to buy extra copies of

some weapons that you couldn't normally buy) has been removed from the game, as

has the glitch that allowed you to earn infinite JP via a bug in the ability-

learning menu.



* Instead of using the Gregorian Calendar (January to December), dates are now

displayed in Zodiac format (e.g. 3 Capricorn). The year also now alternates

between "Wet months" (in which storms are more likely) and "Dry months,"

similar to the cycle on Final Fantasy XII's Giza Plains.



* Victory conditions for the Bethla Garrison/Fort Besselat sluice battle in

Chapter IV have changed. In the PSone version, you had to throw a pair of

switches to finish the battle. This meant that you could hang around even

after you'd killed all the enemies to have your characters hit each other and

easily level up. In the PSP version, the battle ends as soon as you defeat all

the enemies.



* All of Rapha's skills are now learnable as soon as she joins the party. In

the PSone version, many did not appear until Chapter IV.



* The Oil status effect, which did not do anything in the PSone version (even

though it was supposed to), now actually works -- it doubles the damage from

the next fire attack.



* In the PSP version, when a summon spell is cast, the name of that summon's

special attack is displayed (e.g. Shiva casts "Glacial Shards"), as in most

Final Fantasy games. The PSone version simply displayed the name of the

summoned creature itself (e.g. "Shiva"). Similarly, each Iaido ability now has

a special name when being cast, rather than simply the name of the katana.



* In the PSone version, the game would cycle through various "attract" movies--

a trailer for the game and videos demonstrating all the jobs--if left on the

title screen for a while. These movies do not exist in the PSP version; the

title sequence just repeats over and over if the game is left running on the

title menu.



* The icons for some of the status conditions have been changed -- probably to

be more visible on a smaller screen.



* Some other visual display elements have also been changed. For example, the

party roster screen now has more characters per row (to fit the widescreen

format), the victory condition and battle clear screens are different, and the

text map on the map screen is printed in a different & bigger font.



* On the bad side of things, the game runs somewhat slower than the original

PSone version.



* Also on the bad sides, some of the sound effects (e.g. some ability effects,

and the "death screams" when characters are KOed) also sound different (and

poorer) on the PSP hardware. To be honest, I have such a tin ear for these

kinds of differences that it's hard for me to tell exactly what has and hasn't

changed, but it's been widely reported that they do sound different :)



* And, of course, the game has been retitled Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of

the Lions, given a new logo, and rebranded as part of Square Enix's new Ivalice

Alliance franchise.



In addition, the North American, European, and Australian releases boast some

further changes:



* The game has been completely retranslated, with the Engrish-y awkwardness

from the original version being replaced with a "medieval" style similar to the

English version of Final Fantasy XII. If you're familiar with the old 1998

PSone translation and want to get up to speed with the new one, check out the

name conversion guide below.



* The slowdown in the North American and European releases is not as bad as it

was in the Japanese PSP release (or so I'm told).



* Voice-acting has been added to the cutscenes. In the Japanese version, the

dialogue is only displayed in subtitles, with no voice-over.



* In the PSone version, using a spell or special technique would occasionally

cause the character to shout out a special quote (e.g. "Life is short...Bury!

Steady Sword!"). These quotes have been removed from the English PSP version.



* The X and O button mappings are reversed from the North American PSone

release -- X now selects things in menus and O cancels, as in almost all North

American releases. (Explanation: In Japanese versions of games, using O to

select and X to cancel is actually the standard. In North America, the

reverse is true; usually X selects and O cancels. Games being localized from

Japan generally have the X and O buttons swapped -- in fact, this is a Sony-

mandated change. The original PSone translation of FF Tactics apparently

slipped through the cracks, in keeping with the general kookiness of its

localization, and ended up with the O button to confirm. The PSP localization

brings things back in life with the North American standard.)



%%%NAME CONVERSION CHART%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00names



The new English translation has changed quite a few names from the much-

maligned 1998 translation seen in the PSone version, so I've provided this

chart to help FF Tactics veterans get up to speed with the new translation.



---Game Mechanics--------------------------------------------------------------

[1998 PSone translation] [2007 PSP translation]

Brave Bravery

Propositions Errands

Treasure (from Prop.s) Artefacts

Unexplored Land Wonders of the Ancient World

Strengthen: (equipment) Boosts:

Cancel: (equipment) Immune:

Always: (equipment) Equip:

Bonus Money Bonus Coin

War Trophies Battle Trophies



STATUS CONDITIONS

Transparent Invisible

Darkness Blind

Petrify Stone

Frog Toad

Don't Move Immobilize

Don't Act Disable

Blood Suck Vampire

Death Sentence Doom

Invitation Traitor

Innocent Atheist



---Story-----------------------------------------------------------------------

[1998 PSone translation] [2007 PSP translation]



CHARACTERS

Adramelk Adrammelech

Alazlam J.D. Arazlam Durai

Algus Sadalfas Argath Thadalfus

Alphons Draclau Alphonse Delacroix

Altima Ultima

Balbanes Beoulve Barbaneth Beoulve

Balk Fenzol Barich Fendsor

Balmafula Lanandu Valmafra Lenande

Besrodio Bunanza Besrudio Bunansa

Bestrada Larg Bestrald Larg

Beowulf Kadmus Beowulf Cadmus

Buremonda Bremondt

Cidolfas Orlandu Cidolfus Orlandeau

Delita Hyral Delita Heiral

Druksmald Goltana Druksmald Goltanna

Elidibs Elidibus

Gaff Gafgarion Goffard Gaffgarion

Gelkanis Barinten Gerrith Barrington

Golagros Levine Gragoroth Levigne

Gustav Margueriff Gustav Margriff

Hashmalum Hashmal

Izlude Tingle Isilud Tengille

Kletian Drowa Cletienne Duroi

Lede Lettie

Malak Galthana Marach Galthena

Marge Funeral Marcel Funebris

Mesdoram Elmdor Messam Elmdore

Miluda Folles Milleuda Folles

Mustadio Bunanza Mustadio Bunansa

Olan Durai Orran Durai

Omdolia Atkascha Ondoria Atkascha

Orinas Atkascha Orinus Atkascha

Professor Bordam Daravon Master Darlavon

Queklain Cuchulainn

Rad Ladd

Rafa Galthana Rapha Galthena

Reis Dular Reis Duelar

Rofel Wodring Loffrey Wodring

Rudvich Bart Ludovich Baert

Ruvelia Atkascha Louveria Atkascha

Simon Pen Rakshu Simon Penn-Lachish

Sinogue Syneugh

Teta Hyral Tietra Heiral

Velius Belias

Vicks Biggs

Vormav Tingel Folmarv Tengille

Worker 8 Construct 8

Zalbag Beoulve Zalbaag Beoulve

Zalmo Rusnada Zalmour Lucianada



TERMS

Hokuten Knights Order of the Northern Sky

Nanten Knights Order of the Southern Sky

Death Corps Corpse Brigade

Bart Company Baert Company

Temple Knights Knights Templar

Black Sheep Knights Blackram Knights

Lion's War War of the Lions

Mosfungus Mossfungus



CHAPTER TITLES

The Manipulator & the The Manipulative & the

Subservient Subservient

Somebody to Love In the Name of Love



---Places----------------------------------------------------------------------

[1998 PSone translation] [2007 PSP translation]



OVERWORLD

Ygros Castle Eagrose Castle

Sweegy Woods The Siedge Weald

Sand Rat Cellar Sand Rat's Sietch

Thieves' Fort Brigands' Den

Lenalia Plateau Lenalian Plateau

Fovoham Plains Fovoham Windflats

Fort Zeakden Ziekden Fortress

Zirekile Falls Zeirchele Falls

Fort City Zaland Castled City of Zaland

Bariaus Hill Balias Tor

Zigolis Swamp Tchigolith Fenlands

Goug Machine City Clockwork City of Goug

Warjilis Trade City Port City of Warjilis

Bariaus Valley Balias Swale

Golgorand Execution Site Golgollada Gallows

Goland Coal City Mining Town of Gollund

Lesalia Imperial Capital Royal City of Lesalia

Grog Hill Grogh Heights

Yardow Fort City Walled City of Yardrow

Yuguo Woods The Yuguewood

Doguola Pass Dugeura Pass

Bervenia Volcano Mount Bervenia

Finath River Finnath Creek

Bed Desert Beddha Sandwaste

Bethla Garrison Fort Besselat

Zarghidas Trade City Trade City of Sal Ghidos

Germinas Peak Mount Germinas

Dolbodar Swamp Dorvauldar Marsh

Murond Holy Place Mullonde



DEEP DUNGEON/MIDLIGHT'S DEEP

Deep Dungeon Midlight's Deep

NOGIAS The Crevasse

TERMINATE The Stair

DELTA The Hollow

VALKYRIES The Catacombs

MLAPAN The Oubliette

TIGER The Palings

BRIDGE The Switchback

HORROR The Interstice

END Terminus



---Jobs------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1998 PSone translation] [2007 PSP translation]

Priest White Mage

Wizard Black Mage

Mediator Orator

Oracle Mystic

Lancer Dragoon

Calculator Arithmetician



SPECIAL JOBS

Delita's Sis Commoner

Dark Knight Fell Knight

Engineer Machinist

Heaven Knight Skyseer

Hell Knight Netherseer

Holy Swordsman Sword Saint

Arc Knight Ark Knight

Temple Knight Templar

Steel Giant Automaton

Dragoner Dragonkin



ENEMY JOBS

Impure King The Impure

Holy Priest Celebrant

Warlock Gigas

Angel of Death Death Seraph

Lune Knight Rune Knight

Ghost of Fury The Wroth

Regulator Bringer of Order

Holy Angel High Seraph

Arch Angel Arch Seraph



---Monsters--------------------------------------------------------------------

[1998 PSone translation] [2007 PSP translation]

Gobbledeguk Gobbledygook

Cuar Coeurl

Vampire Vampire Cat

Explosion Exploder

Living Bone Skeletal Fiend

Bull Demon Wisenkin

Minitaurus Minotaur

Sacred Sekhret

Gust Ghast

Pisco Demon Piscodaemon

Squidlarkin Squidraken

Mindflare Mindflayer

Flotiball Floating Eye

Plague Plague Horror

Juravis Jura Aevis

Woodman Dryad

Taiju Elder Treant

Morbol Malboro

Hyudra Hydra

Hydra Greater Hydra

Uribo Pig

Porky Swine

Wildbow Wild Boar

Apanda Reaver

Archaic Demon Archaeodaemon



---Abilities-------------------------------------------------------------------

[1998 PSone translation] [2007 PSP translation]



SQUIRE

Basic Skill Fundaments

Accumulate Focus

Dash Rush

Throw Stone Stone

Heal Salve

Monster Skill Beastmaster

Gained Jp UP JP Boost



CHEMIST

Throw Item Throw Items

Maintenance Safeguard

Equip Change Reequip

Move-Find Item Treasure Hunter



KNIGHT

Battle Skill Arts of War

* Break Rend *

Magic Break Rend MP

Mind Break Rend Magick

Weapon Guard Parry

Equip Armor Equip Heavy Armor



ARCHER

Charge+x Aim +x

Speed Save Adrenaline Rush

Arrow Guard Archer's Bane

Concentrate Concentration



MONK

Punch Art Martial Arts

Spin Fist Cyclone

Repeating Fist Pummel

Wave Fist Aurablast

Earth Slash Shockwave

Secret Fist Doom Fist

Stigma Magic Purification

HP Restore Critical: Recover HP

Hamedo First Strike

Martial Arts Brawler

Move-HP UP Lifefont



WHITE MAGE/PRIEST

White Magic White Magicks

Cure 2 Cura

Cure 3 Curaga

Cure 4 Curaja

Raise 2 Arise

Protect 2 Protectja

Shell 2 Shellja

Regenerator Regenerate

Magic DefendUP Arcane Defense



BLACK MAGE/WIZARD

Black Magic Black Magicks

Fire 2 Fira

Fire 3 Firaga

Fire 4 Firaja

Bolt Thunder

Bolt 2 Thundara

Bolt 3 Thundaga

Bolt 4 Thundaja

Ice Blizzard

Ice 2 Blizzara

Ice 3 Blizzaga

Ice 4 Blizzaja

Frog Toad

Magic AttackUP Arcane Strength



TIME MAGIC

Time Magic Time Magicks

Haste 2 Hasteja

Slow 2 Slowja

Don't Move Immobilize

Demi Gravity

Demi 2 Graviga

MP Switch Mana Shield

Short Charge Swiftness

Float [movement ability] Levitate



SUMMONER

Summon Magic Summon

Silf Sylph

Fairy Faerie

Zodiac Zodiark

MP Restore Critical: Recover MP

Half of MP Halve MP



THIEF

Gil Taking Steal

Caution Vigilance

Gilgame Heart Gil Snapper

Catch Sticky Fingers

Secret Hunt Poach



ORATOR/MEDIATOR

Talk Skill Speechcraft

Invitation Entice

Persuade Stall

Threaten Intimidate

Solution Enlighten

Death Sentence Condemn

Negotiate Beg

Finger Guard Earplug

Train Tame

Monster Talk Beast Tongue



MYSTIC/ORACLE

Yin-Yang Magic Mystic Arts

Blind Umbra

Spell Absorb Empowerment

Life Absorb Invigoration

Pray Faith Belief

Doubt Faith Disbelief

Zombie Corruption

Silence Song Quiescence

Blind Rage Fervor

Foxbird Trepidation

Confusion Song Delirium

Dispel Magic Harmony

Paralyze Hesitation

Sleep Repose

Petrify Induration

Absorb Used MP Absorb MP

Defense UP Defense Boost

Any Weather Ignore Weather

Move-MP Up Manafont



GEOMANCER

Elemental Geomancy

Pitfall Sinkhole

Water Ball Torrent

Hell Ivy Tanglevine

Carve Model Contortion

Local Quake Tremor

Kamaitachi Wind Slash

Demon Fire Will-o'-the-Wisp

Blizzard Snowstorm

Gusty Wind Wind Blast

Lava Ball Magma Surge

Counter Flood Nature's Wrath

Attack UP Attack Boost

Any Ground Ignore Terrain

Move on Lava Lavawalking



DRAGOON/LANCER

Level Jump x Horizontal Jump x

Dragon Spirit Dragonheart

Equip Spear Equip Polearms

Ignore Height Ignore Elevation



SAMURAI

Draw Out Iaido

Asura Ashura

Koutetsu Kotetsu

Bizen Boat Osafune

Heaven's Cloud Ama-no-Murakumo

Meatbone Slash Bonecrusher

Blade Grasp Shirahadori

Two Hands Doublehand

Walk on Water Swim



NINJA

Ball Bomb

Stick Pole

Spear Polearm

Knight Sword Knight's Sword

Dictionary Book

Sunken State Vanish

Abandon Reflexes

Two Swords Dual Wield

Move in Water Waterwalking



ARITHMETICIAN/CALCULATOR

Math Skill Arithmeticks

Prime Number Prime

3 Multiple of 3

4 Multiple of 4

5 Multiple of 5

Distribute Cup of Life

Damage Split Soulbind

Gained Exp UP EXP Boost

Move-Get Exp Accrue EXP

Move-Get JP Accrue JP



BARD

Sing Bardsong

Angel Song Seraph Song

Life Song Life's Anthem

Cheer Song Rousing Melody

Battle Song Battle Chant

Magic Song Magickal Refrain

Last Song Finale

MA Save Magick Boost

Face Up Faith Boost



DANCER

Wiznaibus Mincing Minuet

Polka Polka Polka

Disillusion Heathen Frolic

Nameless Dance Forbidden Dance

Last Dance Last Waltz

A Save Fury

Brave Up Bravery Boost



SQUIRE [Ramza]

Guts Mettle

Accumulate Focus

Dash Rush

Throw Stone Stone

Heal Salve

Yell Tailwind

Wish Chant

Cheer Up Steel

Scream Shout

Equip Axe Equip Axes

Monster Skill Beastmaster

Gained Jp UP JP Boost



DARK KNIGHT / FELL KNIGHT

Dark Sword [command] Fell Sword

Night Sword Shadowblade

Dark Sword [ability] Duskblade



HOLY KNIGHT

Stasis Sword Judgment Blade

Split Punch Cleansing Strike

Crush Punch Northswain's Strike

Lightning Stab Hallowed Bolt

Holy Explosion Divine Ruination



PRINCESS & CLERIC

Holy Magic Holy Magick

Mbarrier Aegis

Deathspell 2 Dispelna



ENGINEER / MACHINIST

Snipe Aimed Shot

Leg Aim Leg Shot

Arm Aim Arm Shot



ASTROLOGIST / ASTROLOGER

Starry Heaven Astrology

Galaxy Stop Celestial Stasis



HEAVEN KNIGHT / SKYSEER

Truth Sky Mantra

Heaven's Thunder Heaven's Wrath

Asura Ashura

Diamond Sword Adamantine Blade

Hydragon Pit Maelstrom

Space Storage Celestial Void

Sky Demon Divinity



HELL KNIGHT / NETHERSEER

Un-Truth Nether Mantra

Heaven Bltback Hell's Wrath

Asura Back Nether Ashura

Dia Swrd Back Nether Blade

Dragn Pit Back Nether Maelstrom

Space Str Back Corporeal Void

Sky Demon Back Impiety



HOLY SWORDSMAN / SWORD SAINT

All Swordskill Swordplay



DIVINE KNIGHT

Mighty Sword Unyielding Blade

Shellbust Stab Crush Armor

Blastar Punch Crush Helm

Hellcry Punch Crush Weapon

Icewolf Bite Crush Accessory



ARC KNIGHT / ARK KNIGHT

Destroy Sword Blade of Ruin

* Ruin *sap



TEMPLE KNIGHT / TEMPLAR

Magic Sword Spellblade

Aspel Syphon

Innocent Doubt

Despair Dispel

Shock! Vengeance



STEEL GIANT / AUTOMATON

Work Tasks

Crush Pulverize



DRAGONER / DRAGONKIN

* Bracelet * Breath

Dragon Tame Dragon's Charm

Dragon Care Dragon's Gift

Dragon PowerUp Dragon's Might

Dragon LevelUp Dragon's Speed



SOLDIER

Braver Brave Slash



BYBLOS

Energy Energize

Shock Vengeance

Difference Manaburn



ENEMY JOB COMMANDS & ABILITIES

Fear Dread

Chicken Race Fowlheart

Death Cold Ague

Impure Befoul

Bio 2/3 Biora/Bioga

Lose Voice Aphony

Seal Petrify

Loss Befuddle

Warlock Summon Summon Gigas

Dark Magic Dark Arts

Lifebreak Karma

Dark Holy Unholy Darkness

Use Hand Subdual Arts

Shadow Stitch Shadowbind

Stop Bracelet Suffocate

Teleport 2 Master Teleportation

Night Magic Demon Magicks

Spell Bind

* 2 (Zalera) *ja

Melt Meltdown

Ultimate Magic Arcane Magicks

Complete Magic Divine Magicks

All-ultima Divine Ultima

Saturation Divine Providence

Mute 2 Disempower

Despair 2 Dispelja

Return 2 Return

Dark Cloud The Dark

Snake Carrier Snakecharm

Midgar Sworm Midgarsomr



MONSTER ABILITIES

Choco Attack Choco Beak

Choco Ball Choco Pellets

Scratch Claw

Poison Nail Venom Fang

Cat Kick Cat Scratch

Blood Suck Vampire

Small Bomb Bomblet

Turn Punch Spin Punch

Bloodfeast Mutilate

Knife Hand Chop

* Soul * Anima

Aqua Anima Water Anima

Wave Around Feral Spin

Blow Fire Breathe Fire

Mimic Titan Earthsplitter

Gather Power Beef Up

Throw Spirit Ectoplasm

Grease Touch Oily Touch

Tentacle Tentacles

Black Ink Ink

Odd Soundwave Dischord

Look of Fright Dread Gaze

Wing Attack Wing Buffet

Look of Devil Bewitching Gaze

Death Sentence Doom

Circle Beam

Scratch Up Talon Dive

Shine Lover Glitterlust

Beaking Peck

Shake Off Pickaxe

Leaf Dance Leaf Rain

Spirit of Life Life Nymph

Protect Spirit Guardian Nymph

Clam Spirit Shell Nymph

Bad Bracelet Bad Breath

Malboro Virus Malboro Spores

Stab Up Gore

Sudden Cry Heave

Dash Charge

Tail Swing Tail Sweep

Hurricane Twister

Ulmaguest Almagest

Triple * Tri-*

Straight Dash Reckless Charge

Oink Squeak

Pooh- Toot

Nose Breath Snort

Please Eat Bequeath Bacon



---Equipment-------------------------------------------------------------------

[1998 PSone translation] [2007 PSP translation]

ITEM CATEGORIES

Ninja Sword Ninja Blade

Knight Sword Knight's Sword

Hammer Flail

Dictionary Book

Spear Polearm

Stick Pole

Ribbon Hair Adornment

Mantle Cloak

Magic Ball Bomb



WEAPONS

Zorlin Shape Zwill Straightblade

Hidden Knife Ninja Blade

Ninja Knife Kunai

Short Edge Kodachi

Ninja Edge Ninja Longblade

Spell Edge Spellbinder

Sasuke Knife Sasuke's Blade

Koga/Iga Knife Koga/Iga Blade

Nagrarock Nagnarok

Sleep Sword Sleep Blade

Koutetsu Kotetsu

Bizen Boat Osafune

Heaven's Cloud Ama-no-Murakumo

Rainbow Staff Serpent Staff

Wizard Staff Mage's Staff

Sage Staff Staff of the Magi

Faith Rod Rod of Faith

Flail Iron Flail

Flame Whip Flame Mace

Romanda Gun Romandan Pistol

Blaze Gun Glacial Gun

Glacier Gun Blaze Gun

Blast Gun Blaster

Night Killer Knightslayer

Gastrafitis Gastrophetes

Ultimus Bow Artemis Bow

Bloody Strings Bloodstring Harp

Fairy Harp Faerie Harp

Battle Dict Battle Folio

Monster Dict Bestiary

Papyrus Plate Papyrus Codex

Madelgelm Omnilex

Oberisk Obelisk

H Bag Hydrascale Bag

C Bag Croakadile Bag

P Bag Pantherskin Bag

FS Bag Fallingstar Bag

Persia Damask Cloth

Ryozan Silk Wyrmweave Silk



SHIELDS

Platina Shield Platinum Shield

Kaiser Plate Kaiser Shield



HELMS

Barbuta Barbut

Cross Helm Close Helmet

Feather Cap Plumed Hat

Triangle Hat Wizard's Hat

Twist Headband Headband

Holy Miter Celebrant's Miter

Black Hood Black Cowl

Flash Hat Lambent Hat

Thief Hat Thief's Cap



ARMOR

Platina Armor Platinum Armor

Carabini Mail Carabineer Mail

Reflect Mail Mirror Mail

Leather Outfit Leather Clothing

Leather Vest Leather Plate

Chain Vest Ringmail

Adaman Vest Adamant Vest

Judo Outfit Jujitsu Gi

Power Sleeve Power Garb

Earth Clothes Gaia Gear

Black Costume Black Garb

Wizard Outift Wizard Clothing

Secret Clothes Ninja Gear

Rubber Costume Rubber Suit

Linen Robe Hempen Robe

Silk Robe Silken Robe

Light Robe Luminous Robe

Robe of Lords Lordly Robe



ACCESSORIES

Spike Shoes Spiked Boots

Feather Boots Winged Boots

Sprint Shoes Hermes Shoes

Power Wrist Power Gauntlet

Magic Gauntlet Magepower Glove

Genji Gauntlet Genji Glove

Defense Ring Protect Ring

Magic Ring Magick Ring

N-Kai Armlet Nu Khai Armband

108 Gems Japa Mala

Defense Armlet Guardian Bracelet

Diamond Armlet Diamond Bracelet

Small Mantle Shoulder Cape

Leather Mantle Leather Cloak

Wizard Mantle Mage's Cloak

Elf Mantle Elven Cloak

Dracula Mantle Vampire Cape

Feather Mantle Featherweave Cloak

Vanish Mantle Invisibility Cloak

Salty Rage Sortile'ge

Setiemson Septie`me



ITEMS

Eye Drop Eye Drops

Echo Grass Echo Herbs

Soft Gold Needle

Magic Shuriken Fuma Shuriken

Yagyu Darkness Yagyu Darkrood

Fire Ball Flameburst Bomb

Water Ball Snowmelt Bomb

Lightning Ball Spark Bomb



---Errands---------------------------------------------------------------------

[1998 PSone translation] [2007 PSP translation]

TREASURES/ARTEFACTS

Four Gods Set Four-Deity Plate

Statue of Lylis Statuette of Lilith

Beetle Charm Scarab Charm

Zeni-Sword Coin Blade

Malice Mask Hanya Mask

Kid's Bread Moppet Bread

Adult's Bread Goliath Bread

Yurgeivogue Lugae

M-Fiction Novel Mesa's Musings

Diary of Nanai Nanai's Histories

Wyuvle Veil of Wiyu

Book of Enavia Enavia Chronicles

Magical Gun Enchanted Pistol

M Machinegun Enchanted Machinegun

Magi-Sword Zanmato

Minu Orb Orb of Minwu

Tarot of Ben Tarot de Bennstat

Excalipar Excalipoor

Parasite Tree Yggdrasil Mistletoe

Longibunne Spear Lance of Longibunne



UNEXPLORED LAND/WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

Magic Continent Floating Continent

Castle of Trials Fortress of Trials

Falgabird Falgabard

Magic Train Phantom Train

Touzas Village Tozus Village

Semite Falls Semitt Falls



*******************************************************************************

XVI. CREDITS / DISCLAIMER 00cred

*******************************************************************************



This FAQ is copyright 1998 and 2007-2008 by Fritz Fraundorf. Final Fantasy

Tactics: The War of the Lions is copyright 1997 and 2007 by Square Enix. This

FAQ is not associated with or endorsed by Square Enix or Sony.



You may freely distribute this FAQ if it is not altered in any way and I am

credited.



This FAQ is distributed by weight, not volume, and some settling of its

contents may have occured during shipping.



%%%CREDITS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%



---PSP VERSION CREDITS---------------------------------------------------------



- Aaron N. Price for the name of one of the errands in the new translation.

- ace luna for suggesting I add a note about Midlight's Deep always staying

red on the map.

- Agostino Gruppi for pointing out typos in the range for bows and crossbows.

- Albert K.G. for the late-game save files that allowed me to quickly update

a lot of the retranslated names, for some of the starting conditions for the

new subquests, and for Dark Knight stats and abilities.

- Alexander Scott for suggesting I add using cure spells on the undead to the

Various Tricks section.

- Andrew Lyfoung for the PSP version's removal of the infinite-JP trick.

- Anocruxis via the GameFAQs.com secrets page for the procedure for

recruiting Balthier.

- AquaMan984 for Ignore Elevation not working at Lionel Castle Gate.

- Archie Fiasco for suggestions on how to level up characters without Focus.

- Avaj's great FFTastic save editor for the PSone version - available at

http://www.m-l.org/~greerga/fftnet/fftastic/main.html - for helping me check

on some of the enemy-only abilities and some of the PSone-to-PSP changes.

- azymyth for info on the new Chapter IV Argath battle and some of the info.

on how your choice on Mandalia Plain in Chapter I affects your Bravery.

- Benji Parish for noting Belias's petrification attacks if you Silence him.

- BradyGames's official guide for the game for the Brass Coronet stats and for

the location of the rare items during the Eagrose Castle Keep battle.

- Brent Clevenger for pointing out that the Balthier quest isn't immediately

available in Chapter IV.

- Carlos Alexandre for pointing out some of the merits of Ramza's Squire job.

- Cecil Beoulve for the Oracle level-down stat raising trick.

- Chris Ng for confirming that buying Aerith's flower is a one-time

opportunity and for the bug where enemies use swordskills without a sword.

- Christopher Nong for a number of strategies against Wiegraf/Belias.

- Cody Hickman for suggesting the missable items list.

- Cristiano Bruzzo for some of the new JP costs for abilities.

- Darius Rodriguez for the info on how Bravery and Faith increases are

calculated after a battle.

- Darrel Wade for noting that monks can equip clothes, and correcting the

price of two of the guns.

- David Jamison for correcting the location of the Faerie Harp.

- Derek Kupper for pointing out that bows are unlike all other weapons in that

they don't require a direct line of fire.

- Desmond Gaban for the correct size of the roster increase in the PSP version.

- Devin Osborne for confirming all the summon & -ja magick learning rates and

Teleport failure rate in the PSP version.

- Doug for pointing out that you can't steal a Blood Sword from Gaffgarion

until the Gallows.

- Doug Prevo for more info. on enemies using swordskills without a sword.

- Drew Seleski for correcting the amount that Intimidate and Enlighten lower

Bravery and Faith.

- Edgar Hernandez for pointing out I had the coordinates for the Excalibur

reversed in the Midlight's Deep item locations.

- Emanuel Mak for learning Ultima in the multiplayer mode.

- Felix_Omni for Dark Knight, Sky Pirate, and Game Hunter abilities.

- Flaring Bahamut for when the new Cletienne battle occurs in Chapter IV, for

when Agrias's subquest actually becomes available, and for pointing out some

typos :).

- Freaky Liar for highlighting Flails as a great weapon to throw.

- gunblade15 for using Balthier's Barrage to attack more than one enemy per

turn, for reminding me to note the difference between the Angel Ring and the

Chantage, for suggesting I make a more obvious warning about saving in

the final sequence of battles, for pointing out a typo in the Nagnarok's

stats, and for some of the stats on the multiplayer-only items.

- Gunther Kris Santos for catching a few more abilities with different JP costs

in the PSP version.

- Harvey Ng Lee for when failed errands reappear in the Tavern, for some

magick-based strategies against Wiegraf/Belias, and for also pointing out the

reversed Excalibur coordinates.

- Havamere for info on the Onion Knight.

- IGN.com and 1Up.com for information on some of the various changes to the PSP

release.

- J.J. Garcia for pointing out that I had the Red Chocobo and Behemoth King

poached items backwards, for when the Clockwork Faire errand is available,

and for pointing out a typo in the weapons list.

- James Derr for first suggesting the usefulness of Ramza's Steel ability in

raising Bravery.

- Jason Wood for which quests do and don't require Alicia and Lavian, and that

you only need to protect Beowulf during the *first* Lionel Castle battle.

- Jeff Mathews for character strategy suggestions for Meliadoul and a couple

ability combos.

- Joe Davidson's great lionedit save editor for the PSP version - available at

http://code.google.com/p/lioneditor/ - for giving me a way to look up the

names of the Lucavi job commands in the PSP version.

- John Hoffman for the new names for the Deep Dungeon/Midlight's Deep floors,

and the rumor necessary to start the Beowulf Subquest.

- Jonathan Tabish for some of the information on the sound effect changes in

the PSP version.

- Johnny World for the new name of the Zorlin Shape (Zwill Straightblade) and

for pointing out that both players always earn the same number of chests in

Rendezvous Mode.

- Joseph Welke for correcting the job prerequisities for Dragoon.

- Joshua Evans for pointing out a typo in one of the battle strategies.

- Juan Mejia for suggesting Aurablast and Leg Shot as useful abilities against

Cuchulainn.

- Judg3m3nt for a couple tactics for the Lionel Castle Gate battle.

- kami_amaya via the GameFAQs.com secrets page for the sound test.

- Ken Bernardo for the current name and stats of the Almagest monster ability.

- Leonardo Vaz for Luso learning Ultima, for being able to catch Scorpion

Tails with Sticky Fingers, and for the new names of the Great(er) Malboro

and Malboro Virus (now Malboro Spores).

- Leonardo Vidal for some more requirements on the Tynar Rouge event.

- Levi Middleton for correcting the effects of Atheist/Faith on Nether Mantra,

and using the Rod of Faith to allow Marach to use both Nether Mantra and

regular magicks.

- Logicmanhero for Dark Knight, Balthier, and Luso abilities.

- Luze for Reflexes mechanics and the Featherweave Cloak/Reflex combo.

- Manny for suggesting I add a note about the character departures due to low

Bravery/high Faith.

- Matt Dorothy for Balthier being available as soon as you finish Bervenia.

- Mauro Schiavo and Benedict Icton for bringing the clear-game save problem to

my attention.

- Michael Wood for a number of tactics against Wiegraf/Belias, including

Silencing him.

- Miguel Colon for noting I'd omitted Vanish from the list of abilities that

can grant Invisible status and for pointing out an incomplete sentence in the

Ninja job description.

- Mike Leddick for trapping monsters using petrified allies for stat grinding.

- Minh Vu for pointing out the EXP section was misleading about when attack

strength and speed go up, and for strategies for stat grinding.

- Muhammad Iqbal for the FF VII reference in one of the multiplayer missions.

- Mytherial J for the changes to Meliadoul's abilities in the PSP version

(they now work on unequipped enemies and monsters!)

- Not Dice for pointing out that the FAQ about stealing the Genji equipment was

a little confusing.

- Olivier for pointing out when Cloud becomes available in the PSP version, and

for being one of several readers to point out that Beowulf is available from

the start of Chapter IV.

- Pat Polk for correcting when the Tynar Rouge quest becomes available, for

quite a few of the new PSP names, for correcting a few item locations in

Midlight's Deep, for the Mana Shield + Manafont combo, for the Keep Yourself

Alive party strategy, for some of the mechanics of Balthier's Barrage

ability, for insights on gaining levels, and for pointing out a few other

typos and errors.

- RalphTheBleeder for the Black Magicks strategy for Lionel Castle Gate.

- Reninzo for catching another point where I'd still said Reis couldn't use any

equipment.

- RevenantThings and LDKAngel via the GameFAQs.com FF T secrets page for the

PSP version job prerequisities.

- Rob Mako for the procedure for recruiting Luso.

- Romuald Brunet for suggesting Teleport at the Lionel Castle Gate battle.

- sahkuh on YouTube for the video demonstrating the Toad-based automated

leveling technique.

- Sane Valios for info on the inability to steal from Elmdore in the PSP

version.

- Sean Buelow for crystallizing enemy Summoners as another strategy for

teaching Zodiark to additional characters.

- Seth X.H. for the correct prerequisites for the Nelveska Temple battle.

- Shaun Tang for pointing out the Chemist with the Glacial Gun in the colliery

may have Maintenance, for suggesting Inviting the Pig in the colliery, for

pointing out that Beowulf is available at the beginning of Chapter IV, for

the Disable tactic on the Riovanes Castle Roof, and confirming that Luso can

learn Ultima in Chapter III.

- Tam Thanh Truong for pointing out that I'd written "Oracle" instead of

"Mystic" more than a few times in the FAQ.

- Tom Dougall for pointing out that my Learning Ultima instructions were a

little TOO opaque.

- Tony Lawrence for using Balthier's Barrage with Poach.

- Trevor Webb for the Pig that appears in the Fenlands in Chapter II.

- Ty'ere Mosley for pointing out that Zodiark isn't learned 100% of the time

when you're hit with the spell; it's random.

- UnshakableWill for recommending Break or other petrification/instant KO

attacks as a strategy for the Finnath Creek battle.

- Vincent Cheng for suggesting clarifications to the Arithmetician's job

description and for JP-raising tips.

- Warren for suggesting using Magick Break against Elidibus, for alternate

strategies against Wiegraf/Belias, and for pointing out that Masamune Iaido

is somewhat limited in usefulness since Masamunes are so rare :P

- winddraco for the stats on almost all of the mutiplayer-only items, for

weapon damage stats, for the Simple Method for automatic experience gaining

and tactics for grinding stats, for confirming that the Tynar Rouge event

never expires even if you miss it on 1 Cancer the first time, for the

mechanics of Balthier's Plunder and the Dark Knight abilities, for when and

how Onion Knights get more powerful, for Brawler improving stealing, for

Cloud's Limit using Magick Attack, and for pointing out other typos and

goofs.

- XmushXroomX via the GameFAQs.com secrets page for "previewing" monster eggs.



---PSONE VERSION CREDITS-------------------------------------------------------



- Alex Jennings (ajenning@isd.net) for one FF reference.

- Andrew Schoonmaker (neon@eskimo.com) for general corrections, the Bonus Gil

info, and the Shock trick on the final battle.

- Ben Ford (bhford@ibm.net) for improving the Shoot Enemies Close to You Trick.

- Billy Sauls (doomsday@citynet.net) for tips on the "Roof of Doom" (Riovanes

Castle Roof).

- C.J. Showers (CaptainAndy98@yahoo.com) for info on the Bloody Strings

draining HP.

- cobblerob@softhome.net for the suggestion to use Teleport to light up the

Deep Dungeon.

- Dan Polcari (magus@cyberverse.com) for the Chaos Blade's stats, the Stop

Galaxy quote, and the Deep Dungeon / Vietnam War connection.

- David Artman (tzombie@netrox.net) for correcting which option to choose on

the battle to save Mustadio.

- D. B. Brown (dbrown1@stny.lrun.com) for suggestions on the Knight job.

- H. Clower (SeigfriedH@hotmail.com) for tips on the Riovanes Castle roof,

dismissal quotes, a lot of thoughts on various jobs, and correcting my

mistake on Fire/Ice/Bolt 4.

- Henry LaPierre (freeza@ix.netcom.com) for writing the Alundra FAQ. This has

nothing to do with FF Tactics, but I never would have gotten through that

game without it.

- Jacob Carson (Zebra-38@worldnet.att.net) for most of the rare poaching items.

- James Yoon (daedelon1@hotmail.com) for some JP costs.

- Jason Narad (rdnarad@aiusa.com) for where to get the Escutcheon II and

Javelin II.

- Jason Wong (pchwong@netcom.ca) for stats on the Zorlin Shape and Scorpion

Tail.

- Jeff Smith (snsi@win.bright.net) for the suggest to Rend Weapon Gaffgarion.

- Jeremy Frey for some Draw Out quotes.

- jerid23@aol.com for the poaching list, as well as the stats on the other

perfumes.

- jjukil@aol.com for tips for the Riovanes Castle Roof, the Wild Boar

abilities, and the effect of Malboro Gem.

- joas@nbnet.nb.ca for some spell quotes and Riovanes Castle roof tips.

- John LaRusic (johnlr@telusplanet.net) for making the excellent HTML version

of the FAQ.

- Joshua Kodroff (jjk209@psu.edu) for the suggestion to use Phoenix Down on the

undead.

- Justin Kudo-Pfeiffer's (endymion@linex.com) Deep Dungeon Guide for a lot of

background info on the Deep Dungeon and the location of the Kaiser Plate.

- John Jung (locke@wam.umd.edu) for the effect of the Wild Boar's Please Eat

ability.

- Justin McKennon (xhacker_m998@hotmail.com) for spell quotes, character

quotes, the item stats I was missing, and the strategy for the Bethla

Garrison north gate.

- Ken Bernardo (DBnoise@aol.com) for noting that you need Mustadio to do the

Cloud subquest.

- Ladotheus (frivest@ibm.net) for the Monk / Dual Wield suggestion.

- Marcin Szymanski for the Mincing Minuet / Vanish strategy (from PSM Online).

- Masumo's Final Fantasy Tactics page (http://members.tripod.com/~masumo) for

some info on some of the poaching items, and stats on the Rubber Costume.

- Matt32 (teletech1@mindspring.com) for reminding me to add Golagros's name to

the walkthrough, and for the dismissal quotes I was missing

- Matthew Weng (agent99x@bmw.autobahn.org) for tips on stealing the Genji gear.

- Matt Hobbs (yelseyking@aol.com) for the Commonly Found part of the poaching

list, a lot of the poached item stats, the JP costs for the abilities I was

missing, propisition info, dismissal quotes, where to get the Sasuke Knife

and Nagrarock, and for revamping the ENTIRE spell quotes list.

- Mike Stucke (mastucke@concentric.net) for explaining the meaning of the Deep

Dungeon floor names.

- neelixbeta@aol.com for the Bard / Dancer JP trick and using Don't Move with

call spells.

- Not Me (nineteenounces@hotmail.com) for the explanation of how Jump and

axe/mace weapons work.

- oblivion@pegasus.rutgers.edu for being the first to point out that there

really ARE items on level 10, and for the "Holy Justice" team.

- Patrick Chalnik (pat@fur.com) for the stats on the second Escutcheon.

- Paul Nathans (elyzhutch@aol.com) for poaching info and pointing out the Wild

Boar monster.

- PlayStation Gamer (http://www.sol.no/games/psgamer) for the instructions on

how to get Cloud.

- PSM magazine for the location of the Vanish Mantle.

- PSM Online (http://www.psmonline.com) for the "buy unpurchasable items"

trick, and many of the ability strategies.

- Rori Bryant-Raible (CaitSith88@aol.com) for numerous tips and advice, plus

the weather effects.

- rpgskills@aol.com for the monster abilities I was missing, and some poaching

info.

- Shane Lile (ShaneLile@mindless.com) for mistranslations info.

- shinra2@yahoo.com for some poached items.

- t.g.cid@mindless.com for general info, stealing a Defender and Chantage from

Meliadoul, and the unhittable ninja.

- The Falcon (Falcon@kktv.com) for how JP and gil is determined on errands.

- The Mighty Octopus (tmo42@usaor.net) for one FF reference and the Brave/Faith

permanent change info.

- Tony Barath (serpent@wizardsinc.net) for where to find Dark Behemoths.

- Zachary Piper (zpiper@student.umass.edu) for strategies for Golgorand

Execution Site.

- And Square, for making one of my favorite strategy RPGs.
Upcoming Releases
Kindred Fates is an open world monster battling RPG, and a love letter to the monster battle genre. Our goal is to evolve the genre, and finally bring fans what they've been asking for.
Inspired by the beauty of the natural world around us, Everwild is a brand-new game in development from Rare where unique and unforgettable experiences await in a natural and magical world. Play as an Eternal as you explore and build bonds with the world around you.
Atlas is an action-rpg with rogue-like elements where you use your ability to control the ground to fight the enemies and move through procedurally generated worlds.
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