INTRODUCTION

This walkthrough has my recommendations on weapons and armor throughout the game. Frioniel should train in the use of Swords, Maria should train in the use of Canes, Guy should train in the use of Axes, and Lionheart should train in the use of Swords. I also tried to balance the armor strength between the three main characters, and give the fourth character whatever was left. Also, I took into account the agility, strength, and elemental bonuses given by different types of armor. If you decide to train your characters in other types of weapons or in more than just those, or to do something different with armor, a lot of the information in this walkthrough will not apply. This walkthrough may have old references to information which can be found at a website which no longer exists. Don't go looking for it. I heard there's a newer version of the translation out than this walkthrough uses, so some of the proper names may be outdated too. This walkthrough uses the Neo Demoforce translation version 1.03.

Do whatever the hell you want with this thing. I don't care. Chop it up, make it a txt file, sell it, claim you wrote it. Whatever you do, just don't bug me about it.

Back to top

UPDATES

The differences between this version (2.2) and the previous version (2.1) of this walkthrough are:

I deleted all references to the website of which this walkthrough used to be a part, which no longer exists, and added in a few things which should be added given that the rest of the website can no longer be accessed.

Back to top

TIPS

I wrote this walkthrough using the order of places which the game requires that you take in order to advance the plot. That is, I wrote about Mysidia after I wrote about Phin because the game does not require you to go to Mysidia to advance the plot until after it requires you to go to Phin. However, that does not mean that you can not go to Mysidia first. Most of the time, the game makes it impossible to go to places beyond those which are necessary to the plot at that time. For example, they might make it impossible to get to a certain city until a certain point in the game by placing that city in the middle of the ocean and not giving you a boat until they want you to go there. However, their method of doing that was not always foolproof. Most notably, it is possible to go to Mysidia as soon as you get the Canoe very near the beginning of the game. Walk Southwest from Phin Castle then go South, paddle over the river, and walk to Mysidia. The enemies around there are very tough, and so most people would not go there until much later in the game; however, it is possible. It also helps to use the skip-an-encounter trick. Mysidia has some of the best weapons, armor, and spells available in the game, and if you want to spend the time raising the money, it is possible to go there and buy them very early in the game. While you are there, you could also go to the Mysidia Cave and get the two treasure chests on the first floor

Back to top

At the beginning of the game you have to name the four character with which you start the game. There is no default key, but there is a general consensus on what the names of the characters are, which is followed in this walkthrough. The first character you get to name should be called Frioniel, the second is Lionheart, the third is Maria, and the fourth is Guy (this will not be the same order in which they appear during battle). You are only allowed six letters in each name though, so you will have to abbreviate for Frioniel and Lionheart. In any case, once you name your characters you will start out the game running from your hometown of Phin which has been taken over by the evil empire of Paramekia. You are tracked down by four DkKnights, and the game begins with a fight against them. They will kick your ass.

Frioniel will wake up in a room surrounded by two people named Hilda and Minh. They reveal that they have rescued Frioniel and restored his health, then they leave and you can explore for yourself. After you leave the room you will encounter Maria and Guy, but Lionheart is missing. Together the three of you explore the town in which you have awoken, which is named Altea. You will discover that the survivors of the attack on Phin Castle have moved here to Altea, where they have set up their rebel headquarters. The King of Phin was wounded in the attack, so his daughter Hilda is leading the rebellion. Other noteworthy characters in Altea include Tobul, the blacksmith; Paul, the thief; and Gordon, the Prince of Kashuon, which was also taken over by the empire. Speak to Hilda and learn the password Wild Rose from her.

After you learn Wild Rose it is time for you to travel to Phin in search of Lionheart. Phin is north of Altea, and you will have to go West across a bridge and around a lake to get there, but before you do you might want to make a quick stop at Gatea, which is a town between Altea and Phin. There are no NPCs at Gatea, and it is not really a city which is important to the plot, but they have some weapons and armor available there which are better than the equipment at Altea.

Now is a good time to buy equipment. Buy Maria and Guy a Buckler Shield and buy Maria a Cane (have her sell the Bow which she had equipped) before you worry about anything else. That way you can gain skill levels in your chosen weapons and shields during the time you would have to spend gaining money for the rest of the equipment anyway. When you can afford it buy Maria Leather Armor in Gatea and have her sell her Clothes Armor. Then buy all three of your characters Leather Helmets and Leather Gauntlets. Also make sure to buy everyone in your group Cure, Fire, Ice, and Bolt, which are available in Altea. If you do not want to spend any time raising money for equipment, just be sure to buy Maria a Cane and buy Maria and Guy Buckler Shields, and have one person in your party get Ice and one person get Cure. Those are the things which should be done first, you can proceed with the game and get money for the rest of them as you go if you want.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Broad Sword, Leather Helmet, Leather Gauntlet, Buckler Shield, Leather Armor
Maria: Cane, Leather Helmet, Leather Gauntlet, Buckler Shield, Leather Armor
Guy: Axe, Leather Helmet, Leather Gauntlet, Buckler Shield, Leather Armor

Back to top

After you have equipped yourself as well as your money or patience will allow, head North from Gatea to Phin. You can not enter Phin Castle, so go into the town. There are Captains in the empire all over the place since Phin Town is currently occupied. Do not talk to any of them, or they will slaughter you. Even if you come back at a later point in the game when you are strong enough to kill them, after you defeat them there will be another one standing in its place, so you will not be able to get anywhere. Instead sneak through the town and get to the outside of the wall on the Northern side of town. Follow the outside of the wall around to the East then South and you will reach the pub on the outskirts of town. Give the password Wild Rose to the barkeep and he will reveal a secret passage to a room with three potions where a NPC named Scott, who is the brother of Gordon, is lying wounded from the empire’s attack on Kashuon. Say the password Wild Rose to Scott and he will give you a Ring and tell you that the reason the empire was able to overrun Kashuon so easily was because its general, Borgan, was a spy for the empire. Then he dies, leaving you little choice other than to go back to Altea, since the enemies to the North of Phin or to the South of Altea are extremely hard at this point in the game.

Show Scott’s Ring to Hilda and learn the next password, Mithril, then say Mithril to Hilda, than talk to Minh. Hilda will tell you that the rebel movement needs better equipment to beat the empire. She sends you on a mission to the Semite Cave to recover Mithril, a metal from which great equipment can be made. Minh will join your group temporarily, bringing his Canoe along, which will help you get to the Semite Cave. Minh is a White Wizard, so although he is not incredible at attacking, he has many defensive spells, all of which are on fairly high levels. Minh’s Copper Armor is better than the armor your characters have now, so switch it with Frioniel’s Leather Armor. Minh is not worthy of you wasting your money on him, so do not bother equipping him any better than he already is. Once Minh is in your party, talk to Hilda again to learn the password Warship, then say Warship to her to learn the password Airship.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Broad Sword, Leather Helmet, Leather Gauntlet, Buckler Shield, Copper Armor
Maria: Cane, Leather Helmet, Leather Gauntlet, Buckler Shield, Leather Armor
Guy: Axe, Leather Helmet, Leather Gauntlet, Buckler Shield, Leather Armor
Minh: Cane, Leather Armor

Back to top

Once you get the canoe you will be able to paddle East over the pond which is North of Altea to get to Palm. There are new weapons, armor, and spells at Palm, but do not buy anything yet. The only thing of real significance in Palm is a pirate who will let you ride his boat Northeast across the ocean to Poft for 32 gil. Take him up on his offer and get in his boat outside and you will ride to Poft, which is almost the exact double of Palm. Palm and Poft both offer the same weapons, armor, and magic. The only NPC in Poft is Cid, the owner of the Airship. If you pay his assistant he will let you ride the airship to Bofsk, Salmando, the Semite Cave, or Kashuon. Where you want to go right now depends on what you want to do. Bofsk and Salmando are both towns with weapon, armor, and magic shops, so if you want to buy better equipment, you now have several different choices. In Salmando there is a NPC named Josef, but for now he will not tell you anything since he thinks you are spies for the empire. The people of Bofsk are enslaved to work on the empire’s Warship by the Dark Knight, who works for the empire and is the overseer of their efforts. There is a rebel spy in the town, but he can not do anything for now. The Semite Cave is the cave to which Hilda has sent you to recover the Mithril. Kashuon is Gordon’s kingdom, which has been overrun by the empire. You do not have reason to go there until later in the game.

I recommend buying the spells Safe and Shell from Poft, Heal from Bofsk, and Life from Salmando for Frioniel, Maria, and Guy (you will also want one character to know Exit, but you will find that in the cave to which you are headed after you stock up). Those are really the only worthwhile spells you do not already have. If you want to get better equipment, in order to get the best equipment you should buy Frioniel, Maria, and Guy Bronze Helmets, Bronze Gauntlets, and Bronze Shields from Poft, and Silver Armor from Bofsk. Buy Frioniel a Long Sword from Salmando, buy Maria a Mace Cane from Poft, and buy Guy a Battle Axe from Salmando. Give Frioniel’s old Leather Helmet, Leather Gauntlet, Buckler Shield, and Copper Armor to Minh, and give Guy’s old Axe to Minh. Sell everything else. However, after you get the Mithril from the Semite Cave you will have a whole new set of armor and weapons to buy which is fairly expensive, so you may not want to buy weapons or armor now.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Long Sword, Bronze Helmet, Bronze Gauntlet, Bronze Shield, Silver Armor
Maria: Mace Cane, Bronze Helmet, Bronze Gauntlet, Bronze Shield, Silver Armor
Guy: Battle Axe, Bronze Helmet, Bronze Gauntlet, Bronze Shield, Silver Armor
Minh: Axe, Leather Helmet, Leather Gauntlet, Buckler Shield, Copper Armor

Back to top

You can pay Cid’s assistant 300 gil to fly you to the Semite Cave, or you could walk/paddle your way there. It is mainly West and just a little North of Poft, or Southwest of Salmando. It is a cave in the side of a mountain which is only accessible if you take your canoe across a lake. The men of Salmando are being forced to mine for Mithril in this cave, and halfway through you will rescue them; Nellie, Josef’s daughter; and Paul, the Thief from Altea. The only really worthwhile treasure in the Semite Cave is the Exit spell, which is in the treasure chest on the North part of the seventh, and final, floor of the cave. It is guarded by a LandTrtl, but LandTrtls are weak against Ice, and it will die if you cast Ice on it twice. If you are really having trouble with it, you could use the Change trick if you have already been to Mysidia. Also on that floor is the Mithril, which is guarded by a Sargeant. He is a fairly tough enemy at this point in the game, but just keep attacking and cast Cure on your guys when they need it and he should not be too much of a problem. You could also use the Change trick on him if you have already been to Mysidia. Then cast Exit to get out of the cave and head back to Altea via the ferry from Poft. Once you get to Altea give the Mithril to Tobul and he will make the Mithril Weapons and Armor. Buy Frioniel, Maria, and Guy a Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, and Mithril Armor. Buy Frioniel a Mithril Sword and buy Maria a Mithril Cane. You should buy Guy a Mithril Axe, which is available in Palm or Poft. Give Guy’s old Battle Axe, Bronze Shield, Bronze Helmet, Bronze Gauntlet, and Silver Armor to Minh and sell everything else. Your characters decide that they must go to Bofsk and try and stop the empire from completing its Warship, so now they head off to Bofsk.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Mithril Sword, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Mithril Armor
Maria: Mithril Cane, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Mithril Armor
Guy: Mithril Axe, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Mithril Armor
Minh: Battle Axe, Bronze Helmet, Bronze Gauntlet, Bronze Shield, Silver Armor

Back to top

Go back to Bofsk and now the Dark Knight will no longer be overseeing the construction of the Warship. It has been said that he was called back to Paramekia. In his place the empire has put the traitor Borgan. If you give the password Warship to the rebel spy in the Southwest corner of the town he will sneak you into the sewers, since Borgan does not keep control as well as the Dark Knight did. Follow the path he reveals and go down into the Bofsk sewers. This is a really easy dungeon, it has only two levels since it only runs between the town and the Warship which is right next to the town. There are not any really important treasures on the first floor. There are several false walls in this dungeon which can be taken as shortcuts. Go all the way through the dungeon until you meet the Dark Knight. He happily informs you that the Warship is already complete, and assures you he never would have left before the Warship was completed. So he and Gordan get into the Warship and take off before you are able to stop them. The Warship attacks several of the previously unattacked towns, including Altea, killing many people, but fortunately no important ones. Follow the path which the Dark Knight was blocking and you will find a room with the Pass in it, you will need this later.

After you get the Pass, step on the warp just East of it to go outside. Go to Poft and say Airship to Cid and you will learn the password SunFlame. Return to Altea and report to Hilda. The halls of the rebellion are filled with the wounded. Talk to Hilda, and with all these new wounded, plus a sick king to take care of, Minh decides to stay here and do what he can for them. Minh does however very graciously give you the canoe. Make sure you unequip everything from Minh before he leaves, since if he has something equipped on him when he leaves, you will lose it. Keep all of his equipment even after he is gone for your next fourth character. Now you learn that Gordon fled in the attack, which is unfortunate, because the only way to destroy the Warship is to throw some of the Sun Flame into its engines. The Sun Flame is located on the first floor of Kashuon, but it can only be moved using the EgilTrch, which is locked on the highest floor of Kashuon. To unlock the door you need the Goddess Bell, which is hidden in the Snow Cave. You also learn that Josef has been seen on the Snow Field before. Give the password SunFlame to the King and you will learn the password Goddess Bell. So now you are left with little choice other than to travel all the way back to Salmando and talk to Josef again.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Mithril Sword, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Mithril Armor
Maria: Mithril Cane, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Mithril Armor
Guy: Mithril Axe, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Mithril Armor
Also: Battle Axe, Bronze Helmet, Bronze Gauntlet, Bronze Shield, Silver Armor

Back to top

Give the password Goddess Bell to Josef, who is very pleased with you for rescuing his daughter from the Semite Cave. He will tell you that in order to reach the Snow Cave you will have to go over the Snow Field. In order to travel on the Snow Field, you will need the Ice Sled, which is located in the Semite Cave. Since Josef knows where it is at, he joins your group. Josef is a strong fighter, trained in the use of his bare hands. Unfortunately, he has no spells. You might want to buy him a few cheap spells which will be of immediate use, I would recommend Cure and Fire, but do not spend too much money since he will not be in your group for long. Give him the Battle Axe, Bronze Helmet, Bronze Gauntlet, Bronze Shield, and Silver Armor which Minh used to use. Travel to the Semite Cave and approach the strange blue thing on the first floor. As Josef told you, there is an opening in the wall Northeast of that blue thing, which Josef can open for you. Walk through it to find the Ice Sled. Now leave the cave and go across the Snow Field, the entrance is Northwest of Salmando. Travel East along the Snow Field and you will find the Ice Cave.

Make your way through the Ice Cave, but make sure not to use up all of your magic. You can not cast Exit to get out of here since there is a magic barrier, so you will have to save some of your magic for the trip out (although you will not have to save much, since there is a short cut to get out). On level three of the Ice Cave you will come to a fork in the path which has stairs at either end. Take the Southern path to continue with the dungeon.

On the fifth floor get the Ancient Sword, which is in the box on the Southwest corner of that floor. It is guarded by Shadows and Ghouls. Once you get it, give it to Frioniel and give his Mithril Sword to Josef. Also on that floor, in the Northwest corner, is a Mithril Shield. Give this to Josef.

After that continue along into the room filled with beavers. (They are FF2j’s moogle equivalent. Personally, I think Square should have kept calling them beavers.) Guy will be able to understand the leader beaver, who will tell you to go through the fake wall in the East part of the room. So walk through the wall and you will be on another floor of the dungeon. Get the Silver Armor in the treasure chest in the Southeast corner of the floor and give it to Josef if you never bought Silver Armor for you characters before the Semite Cave. Click on the thing on the wall which looks like a plaque and you will find the Goddess Bell, but it is guarded by an Adamanti. Attacks do not hurt Adamantis very much, but they are weak against Ice, so just cast Ice on him. If you have already gone to Mysidia and are having trouble with this boss, the Change trick does work on him. Make absolutely sure to click on the plaque on the wall again after you defeat the Adamanti; only then do you get the Goddess Bell.

Go through the door and you will be on the first floor of the cave. But right before you get all the way out you will encounter Borgan the traitor. If you beat the Adamanti and still have enough magic to cure yourself before you fight Borgan, he will not be a problem at all. If you do have trouble with Borgan, you can use the Change trick. Make sure to unequip Josef immediately after the fight, since he is about to leave your party. Keep his Mithril Sword, Bronze Helmet, Mithril Shield, and Silver Armor; you will want them for the next fourth member. After you beat Borgan a huge boulder will come rolling down the stairway threatening to crush your party. Your three main characters manage to escape because Josef sacrifices his life in order to save them, but this means your party is back down to three again. Now that you have the Goddess Bell head to Kashuon and try to get the EgilTrch from there.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Ancient Sword, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Mithril Armor
Maria: Mithril Cane, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Mithril Armor
Guy: Mithril Axe, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Mithril Armor
Also: Mithril Sword, Bronze Helmet, Mithril Shield, Silver Armor

Back to top

There are four ways to get to Kashuon. The first is to walk North of Phin for a really long time across territory which is covered with really tough enemies. The second is to walk Southwest of Altea then North when it becomes available for a really long time across territory which is covered with really tough enemies. If you choose either of these options, you are a moron. The third and smartest way to get there is to go to Poft and pay Cid’s assistant 400 gil for a ride there. If you do not want to pay 400 gil, another not so stupid way is to walk Southeast of Bofsk for a relatively short amount of time across territory which is covered with relatively easy enemies. Kashuon is inside a small mountain range shaped like a circle which is inside a large mountain range shaped like a circle. The entrance to the larger mountain range is on the Northeast corner (yes, that's right, the corner of a circle).

In any case, once you get to Kashuon there is nothing you can do with the Sun Flame until you get the EgilTrch, so ignore it for now and walk up to the front door on the first floor of the dungeon. Use the Goddess Bell on the door and it will open up and you can proceed into the Castle. Once inside you will find that Gordon did not actually flee Altea because he was a pathetic coward, instead he went to Kashuon himself to try to retrieve the Sun Flame. Unfortunately, he sucks, so there is no way in hell he will be able to get it alone, and he will not be of much use to you. He joins your party, but really does not do much more than take up space since he sucks so badly. Give him the Mithril Sword, Bronze Helmet, Mithril Shield, and Silver Armor which Josef used to have in addition to his own Bronze Gauntlet.

There are several noteworthy treasures in Kashuon. On the fourth floor get the Gold Shield, which is guarded by Wererats. Give the Gold Shield to Frioniel. There are two doors in the Northeast part of the fifth floor.  Go into the door which is Northwest of the other one and get the Were Cane in the Northern part of that room and give it to Maria. Also get the Mithril Axe on the Western side of that room and give it to Gordon. Also make sure to get the Gold Armor on the sixth floor, but beware of the Balloons and Mines which are guarding it. Give the Gold Armor to Maria and give her Mithril Armor to Gordon.

Finally proceed to the seventh floor, where the EgilTrch awaits you. However it is guarded by a R.Soul. R.Souls are cured by most types of magic you have learned so far in the game, so do not try casting anything on him, just attack. He has fairly powerful magic for this point in the game, so I recommend you play defensively. Devote two or three characters each turn to casting Cure on your whole party. Eventually R.Soul will run out of magic since his spells are all on level eight and he will have no choice but to fight. His attacks suck, so once he runs out of magic just kick his ass with physical attacks. The Change trick does not work on him, it just heals him. Once you defeat him and get the EgilTrch, cast Exit to get out of Kashuon, go back in to get the Sun Flame, then leave.

Hilda had come with Cid in his Airship to greet you when you emerged triumphantly from Kashuon. Instead Cid’s Airship is caught by the empire’s Warship and Cid and Hilda are taken prisoner. The Warship lands and you sense your chance to destroy the Warship and rescue Hilda and Cid.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Ancient Sword, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Gold Shield, Mithril Armor
Maria: Were Cane, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Gold Armor
Guy: Mithril Axe, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Mithril Armor
Gordon: Mithril Axe, Bronze Helmet, Bronze Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Mithril Armor

Back to top

The Warship has landed in a very isolated place, with all the land surrounding it covered with fairly strong monsters. You can get to it by walking North from Phin; by walking South from Kashuon; or by walking Southwest from Phin then North when you can. If you take any of these options, you are a moron. If you go straight South as soon as you leave Kashuon you will encounter the chocobo forest in fourteen steps. Catch the Chocobo and leave the forest and you will be able to ride your way to the Warship, or wherever else you want to go over land, without encountering any enemies. If you want to, go back to a town to recover and/or buy more equipment before you leave for the Warship, then walk back to the chocobo forest and ride to the Warship.

As soon as you enter the Warship a guard will ask you for the Pass you found in the Bofsk Sewers. Give it to him and you will be permitted inside the Warship. Do not talk to any of the enemies posted inside, or you will get in a fight with the same Captains who were guarding Phin, and chances are good that they will still slaughter you.

There are three different staircases on the first floor of the Warship. First go down the staircase in the middle of the room to get the Sleep Sword. You will have to walk through a false wall to get to it, since you can not open the bars. The Sleep Sword is guarded by Mages, Sargeants, and Soldiers. Give the Sleep Sword to Frioniel and give Frioniel's Ancient Sword to Gordon. Then go back up the staircase to the first floor and this time enter the staircase in the room in the Northeast corner of the floor. Hilda and Cid are held on the Southern part of this floor. Break through the bars on their cell to free them then talk to Cid and they will escape. Also make sure to get the Thief Gauntlet, which is also on the Southern part of this floor. Give the Thief Gauntlet to Guy and give Guy's Mithril Gauntlet to Gordon. Once you have taken all the treasures you want to take and rescued Hilda and Cid, go back up the staircase you took to get to this floor and this time take the third and final staircase on the first floor, which is located on the Southeast part of the floor. Go through this floor and up one more flight to the third floor. Get the Gouche Knife on the third floor, which is the treasure box second from the left and give it to Gordon. Get the Giant Helmet, which is the treasure box farthest to the right. Give the Giant Helmet to Frioniel and give his Mithril Helmet to Gordon. Also get the Ice Shield, which is the second treasure box from the right. It is guarded by a Gigas and Soldiers, and the Gigas is a fairly tough enemy. You will be able to buy Ice Shields later in the game, so if you do not want to fight the Gigas you can just skip it and buy it later. If you do fight the Gigas, give the Ice Shield to Guy. After you have gotten all the treasures on the third floor which you want to, go up through the fourth and fifth floors. At the end of the fifth floor will be the engine room, where you will toss the Sun Flame into the engine, destroying the warship.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Sleep Sword, Giant Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Gold Shield, Mithril Armor
Maria: Were Cane, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Gold Armor
Guy: Mithril Axe, Mithril Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Mithril Armor
Gordon: Gouche Knife, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Mithril Armor

Back to top

Once you have destroyed the warship, go back to Altea. Unequip Gordon, then talk to the King and the King will applaud Gordon's bravery and give him a post in Altea and Gordon will leave your party. Keep Gordon's Gouche Knife, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, and Mithril Armor for the next fourth character. The King also sends Minh out to unlock the ultimate magic spell, Ultima. Finally, the King sends you to Dist Castle, home of the Dragoons. The Dragoons were recently attacked by the empire, and you are meant to go there and discover what is left of them. The King then dies. Go talk to Gordon, who now sits in the throneroom of Altea, to learn the password Dragoon. Give the password Dragoon right back to Gordon to learn the password Hiryuu.

Head to Palm to get a ride to Dist. There will be a female pirate name Layla there who says she is heading to Dist now and offers you a ride. Continuing in Squaresoft’s tradition of subtle foreshadowing, Maria remarks on how suspicious this seems. So surely enough, as soon as you are part of the way out to sea, the rest of Layla’s crew attacks your party. They are simple to kill, and once you do so Layla joins your party, giving you her ship. Once you have her ship you can sail to Dist Castle, which is located on an island East of Bofsk, far South of where you are at when you get the ship. The best thing about Layla other than her ship is her helmet. She is wearing the Goldpin Helmet. Give it to Maria and give Maria's old Mithril Helmet and Gordon's old Gouche Knife, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, and Mithril Armor to Layla (note that Layla is left handed, so equip the Gouche knife on her left hand and the Mithril Shield on her right hand).

When you get to Dist Castle you will see a small boy who will think that you are from the Empire and will run away from you. Follow him and talk to him and his mother. Once you tell them that you are fighting against the empire they will become friendly and tell you that all the Dragoons are dead. There is only one Dragon (Hiryuu) left, and it is sick and dying. No one can understand what it is saying, but if you had a Pendant, which is hidden inside Dist Cave, you could understand it. Now go around the castle and collect all the treasures. Make sure to get the Winged Sword and give it to Frioniel. Once you have collected all the treasures in the castle, head to Dist Cave.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Winged Sword, Giant Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Gold Shield, Mithril Armor
Maria: Were Cane, Goldpin Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Gold Armor
Guy: Mithril Axe, Mithril Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Mithril Armor
Layla: Mithril Shield, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Gouche Knife, Mithril Armor

Back to top

Dist Cave is directly North of Dist Castle, on the same island. The first floor of the cave has three different staircases leading to the next floor. First go to the staircase in the Northeast corner of the first floor. Search the bones on the next floor and you will find the Pendant. Once you have the Pendant immediately leave the cave and go back to Dist Castle and talk to the Dragon. If you explore the rest of the cave before talking to the Dragon, you will have to go through the whole thing all over again. Give the password Hiryuu to the Dragon and he will tell you he is dying, and ask you to put his Egg in the Spring of Life inside Dist Cave. The Dragon also tells you that one Dragoon, who is named Richard, left to look for Ultima before the empire invaded Dist Castle, so he may still be alive. Now go back to Dist Cave and head for the Spring of Life to plant the Egg there.

Take the Southwest staircase from the first floor. After several floors of nothing, that will eventually lead you to the Knight Armor in the Southeast treasure box and Flame Bow in the Northwest treasure box. The Knight Armor is guarded by Adamantis, but they should not be a problem this far along in the game. Give the Knight Armor to Frioniel and give the Flame Bow to Layla (you will have to unequip her shield and you should move her to the back row since Bows can attack from the back row). Fairly soon after this dungeon you will have a chance to buy the Knight Armor and weapons better than the Flame Bow, so if you do not want to go through four levels of this cave without needing to, do not take this route and just go directly to the Spring of Life.

Then take the Southeast staircase from the first floor. In the Southwest corner of the next floor is the Magic Cane. Give it to Maria. Then take the Southwest staircase from this floor to go further. Proceed up two floors and you will eventually get to the Spring of Life. Kill the Chimeras which guard it, plant the Egg the Dragon gave you, and leave the cave. The Chimeras should not be a problem, but if they are you can use the Change trick on them.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Winged Sword, Giant Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Gold Shield, Knight Armor
Maria: Magic Cane, Goldpin Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Gold Armor
Guy: Mithril Axe, Mithril Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Mithril Armor
Layla: Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Flame Bow, Mithril Armor

Back to top

Once you have planted the Egg in the Spring of Life go back to Altea where you will encounter more of Squaresoft’s subtle foreshadowing. The townspeople there are all talking about how much Hilda has been acting strangely lately. Go to her room and talk to her and sure enough, it will turn out that she is a Q.Lamia disguised as Hilda.

The Q.Lamia is by far the toughest enemy you have fought so far. She casts Wink on your characters, confusing them, and her attacks cause your characters to fall asleep. Plus she occasionally casts Blink, and after that it will be difficult to hit her. She has no weaknesses, of course. Since she can confuse your characters, I recommend that you unequip all your weapons and shields before you encounter her, that way you will not damage yourself too badly when confused. Put your character with the highest HP in the front row, and put everyone else in the back row. That way she will only be able to attack the person in the front row, and only one person in your party will be asleep at a time, if that. The other three people should have high level Cure spells, an attack spell of your choice (Fire, Ice, Bolt, or something more powerful if you have it, it does not matter which) on a high level, and enough MP to make it through the battle without running out of MP. Q.Lamia has 1300 HP. Once you get into battle Q.Lamia can only cause damage to the person in the front row, since your guys will not damage each other when confused since their weapons and shields are unequipped. So have as many people as necessary cast Cure on the person in the front row each round. Have whoever is not casting Cure on the person in the front row, is not asleep, and is not confused cast your attack spell on Q.Lamia. Eventually it will die or you will run out of MP and be completely screwed since she will probably have cast Blink on herself by that time and you will not be able to hit her. Or, if you want to do things the easy way, just use the Change trick.

Once you kill it you will learn that the real Hilda is being held prisoner by the Emporer, and that she is going to be given away as a prize to the winner of a contest in the Arena. So you rush off to the Arena, which is located on the West side of the mountain range which runs along the East side of the desert South of Kashuon. Gordon decides to go with you since he wants to make sure Hilda is safe. Do not worry about not having gotten a chance to unequip Layla’s helmet, gauntlet, and armor; you will get her back soon and she will still have them equipped then. Give Layla's old Flame Bow and whatever defensive equipment you have to spare if you did not unequip Layla before the fight with the Q.Lamia (I figured it would be needed more during that fight than it would during Gordon's stay on the team), but do not worry about it too much since he will not be in your party for long and he is not much more useful alive than he is dead anyway.

Once you get to the Arena you will have to fight Behemoth, but it will be a very simple fight. He has 1700 HP, but is not very tough, and if you beat Q.Lamia, he will be simple for you. After that you try to attack the Emporer, but fall down a pit and land in a cell underneath the Arena. Paul, the thief from Altea, will come and rescue you to repay you for rescuing him from the Semite Cave. The Arena Dungeon is not much of a challenge, it has only two levels. Go up one level and you will find Hilda there. There is a false wall on the Northern part of the East wall through which you can walk to get to Hilda quickly instead of having to go all the way around. Before you save Hilda unequip Gordon, making sure to save his Flame Bow for Layla when she comes back. After you reach her Gordon will leave your party, taking her with him. Make your way through the rest of that floor and leave the Arena.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Winged Sword, Giant Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Gold Shield, Knight Armor
Maria: Magic Cane, Goldpin Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Mithril Shield, Gold Armor
Guy: Mithril Axe, Mithril Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Mithril Armor
Also: Flame Bow

Back to top

Return to Altea and you will find that with Hilda’s return and the help of Layla’s pirates the rebellion has risen to retake Phin. Everyone who used to reside in Altea from Phin or Kashuon have moved to a camp West of Gatea. The only people remaining in Altea are the original weapon, armor, item, and magic salesmen (Mithril is no longer being sold anywhere), the innkeeper, Tobul, and one member of the rebellion who has stayed behind to tell you where everyone else went.

Go to the camp and you will find Hilda and Gordon, who ask you to help them retake Phin Castle. As soon as you enter Phin Castle you will meet Layla, who will rejoin your group. If she had anything equipped last time she left your group, she will still have it equipped, if not, she will not have anything equipped and you should give her what she used to have again. In any case, take the center staircase and rush up all the flights of stairs ignoring all the treasure boxes and other staircases. Walk right up to the boss of the castle, Gotus, and kick his ass. Gotus should not be a problem, just use physical attacks. If he does prove to be a problem, use the Change trick.

After you beat him, Phin will be free from all enemies forever after (with the exception of the enemies guarding treasure boxes) and the residents of Phin move back in. Now is a good time to go back and get all the treasures you ignored before. Go through a false wall to get the Giant Gauntlet in the Southeast corner of the second floor which is accessible by the staircase in the middle of the first floor. Give it to Maria.

Go talk to Hilda and Gordon on the top floor. Talk to Hilda to learn the password Mysidia. Give the password Mysidia right back to Hilda to learn the password Mask. Give the password Mask right back to Hilda to learn the password Ekume. Give the password Mysidia to Gordon to learn the password Ultima. They will tell you to go to Mysidia to get the ultimate magic spell Ultima since Minh has not returned yet. To do that you will need the W.Mask, which is hidden in Phin Castle’s Basement. Unfortunately, they do not know where it is located, but they recommend that you go talk to Paul, the thief you met in Altea, who now lives in Phin Town. Paul will tell you to check the Northeast corner. Go to the throneroom in Phin Castle, check the Northeast corner, and if you give it the password Ekume, you will be allowed to walk through the wall and into the Phin Basement. Do not go into the basement itself yet, but do follow that passage a little way until you reach the first floor of Phin Castle again where there is a false wall which leads to a Gold Shield, Gold Armor, and Quartz Armor. Give the Gold Shield to Maria, give the Quartz Armor to Guy and give the Gold Armor to Layla.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Winged Sword, Giant Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Gold Shield, Knight Armor
Maria: Magic Cane, Goldpin Helmet, Giant Gauntlet, Gold Shield, Gold Armor
Guy: Mithril Axe, Mithril Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Quartz Armor
Layla: Mithril Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Flame Bow, Gold Armor

Back to top

Also, now that the empire has been beaten back from Phin its weapon, armor, and magic shops are open again. Go there and buy Giant Helmets for Guy and Layla and Quartz Armor for Maria. Do not worry about getting Shields or Weapons here, since the plot is about to require you to go to Mysidia, which has better Shields and Weapons than those you will find in Phin. I do not recommend any of the spells here.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Winged Sword, Giant Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Gold Shield, Knight Armor
Maria: Magic Cane, Goldpin Helmet, Giant Gauntlet, Gold Shield, Quartz Armor
Guy: Mithril Axe, Giant Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Quartz Armor
Layla: Giant Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Flame Bow, Gold Armor

Back to top

To avoid confusion, I am counting the first floor with enemies on it as the first floor of the Phin Basement, as opposed to the first room after going through the false wall in the throneroom of Phin Castle. Make your way through to the third floor. Get the Flame Shield on the West side of the third floor. Give it to Maria and save her Gold Shield for Layla (she can not equip it yet since she is using a bow, but she will be able to equip it soon). Get the Flame Armor on the Northeast corner of the fourth floor. Give it to Frioniel and give Frioniel’s Knight Armor to Layla. Get the Orhacon Knife in the Southeast corner of the fifth floor and give it to Layla along with the Gold Shield you were saving for her. It is guarded by GChimeras. They will not be a problem if you only encounter one or two and they do not cast breath on your group. However, if you run into several of them and they all cast breath, you will probably be dead in one round (this happened to me the first time I fought them). Therefore, save your game before you encounter them and if you die just try again until you get an easy fight. If you have a problem with them, you can use the Change trick. Also on the fifth floor is the W.Mask. Get that and step onto the warp behind it to leave the Basement.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Winged Sword, Giant Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Gold Shield, Flame Armor
Maria: Magic Cane, Goldpin Helmet, Giant Gauntlet, Flame Shield, Quartz Armor
Guy: Mithril Axe, Giant Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Quartz Armor
Layla: Gold Shield, Giant Helmet, Mithril Gauntlet, Orhacon Knife, Knight Armor

Back to top

Once you have gotten the W.Mask head for Mysidia. Mysidia is very hard to find since it is not marked on the map. Get in your boat and sail around the Southern tip of the peninsula on which Altea is located, then straight West, making sure to avoid the mountain chain shaped like a circle which is an island. This should land you on the Eastern shore just North of a chain of mountains. Head straight South along the West side of the mountains (you will canoe over a lake) from here and you will see Mysidia.

If you do not have the boat yet and you are going here early, walk Southwest from Phin until you get to the lake mentioned above. Take your canoe to the Eastern part of the lake then walk straight South.

Mysidia has excellent weapons, armor, and spells. Buy Guy an Ogre Axe, and buy Maria a Power Cane. Give Maria’s Flame Shield to Frioniel and buy an Ice Shield for Maria. Buy Thief Gauntlets for Frioniel and Layla. Also buy one Giant Gauntlet but do not equip it, it will come in useful shortly. Buy the Change spell for one of your main three characters and practice with it now until it is raised to level 16. It is an extremely useful spell. Also buy Holy for Frioniel, Maria, and Guy.

In the Southern part of Mysidia there is a staircase leading down. Go down the stairs and use the W.Mask on the Goddess Statue. You learn while in Mysidia that to get inside the Mysidia Tower you will need the CrystRod, and to get the CrystRod you need the B.Mask. Placing the W.Mask on the Goddess Statue will allow you to get the CrystRod once you find the B.Mask in the B.Mask Cave, which is your next stop.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Winged Sword, Giant Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Flame Shield, Flame Armor
Maria: Power Cane, Goldpin Helmet, Giant Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Quartz Armor
Guy: Ogre Axe, Giant Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Quartz Armor
Layla: Gold Shield, Giant Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Orhacon Knife, Knight Armor
Also: Giant Gauntlet

Back to top

The B.Mask Cave is located on a tiny island in the middle of the sea South of Altea. You will have to go mostly South and a little West to get to it. It is directly North of Salmando. Just use your map and finding it will not be a problem. Make sure to get Aero in the Northeast corner and Southern part of the second level and give it to two of your three main characters.

There are two staircases from the second level. If you take the staircase in the Northwest corner it will lead you, eventually, to a town inhabited by people wearing B.Masks. A creature in this town sells Demon Axes, Demon Javelins, Ruby Armor, and EarthDrms. The weapons and armor are weaker than the equipment you have, and EarthDrms are not all that good, so I do not recommend buying any of this or even visiting this town.

If you choose not to go to the town inside this cave, or go and then return to the second floor, proceed through this cave by taking the stairs in the center of the second floor. Level four of this path has four different staircases. The Southwest, Southeast, and Northwest staircases all lead to items, and I do not recommend wasting your time with any of them. Take the Northeast staircase to the final level of the cave, then go inside the room for the B.Mask. The B.Mask is guarded by BigHorn. BigHorn is a regular enemy near Mysidia, and is absolutely no challenge as a boss. Kill him and then take the warp out of the cave once you get the B.Mask. If you are really having a problem with him you can use the Change trick, but if you made it through the cave you should not have any trouble.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Winged Sword, Giant Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Flame Shield, Flame Armor
Maria: Power Cane, Goldpin Helmet, Giant Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Quartz Armor
Guy: Ogre Axe, Giant Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Quartz Armor
Layla: Gold Shield, Giant Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Orhacon Knife, Knight Armor
Also: Giant Gauntlet

Back to top

The Mysidia Cave is located East of Mysidia, inside the ring of mountains on which Mysidia borders. Get the Goldpin Helmet in the Northen part of the first floor. Now equip the Goldpin Helmet on Frioniel along with the Giant Gauntlet you were saving. Also take the Black Armor on the Southeast part of the first floor and give it to Guy. Blocking the entrance to the second floor is a doppleganger of Frioniel. Put the B.Mask on him and he will disappear. If you have not yet put the W.Mask on the Goddess Statue in Mysidia you will not be able to touch the doppleganger. The two treasures on the first floor are the only ones worth getting, but if you were wondering how to get to the other ones which seem to be unaccessible, you have to walk through a few fake walls. On the second floor there is a fake wall through which you must walk to get the treasure in the Northeast corner. On the third floor there is another fake wall through which you must walk to get the treasure in the Northwest corner. On the fifth floor there is yet another fake wall through which you must walk to get the five treasures in the center of the floor. Then go to the separate room on the fifth floor to get the CrystRod, then leave.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Winged Sword, Goldpin Helmet, Giant Gauntlet, Flame Shield, Flame Armor
Maria: Power Cane, Goldpin Helmet, Giant Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Quartz Armor
Guy: Ogre Axe, Giant Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Black Armor
Layla: Gold Shield, Giant Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Orhacon Knife, Knight Armor

Back to top

Now that you have the CrystRod you can (hypothetically) use it to get into Mysidia Tower. So head to the tower, which is on an island inside a ring of mountains in the sea Southwest of Altea. Make sure to unequip Layla of all her stuff, since she is about to leave your party, save her Thief Gauntlet for the next character. Once you get inside the ring of mountains your ship will be attacked and you will wake up inside the stomach of Leviathon. Layla will be gone, and you will have no choice but to travel on without her. Leviathon’s stomach is filled with pools, presumably of stomach acid. If you walk through them it will take HP off of each of your characters, but only by one HP per step, also no enemy will attack you while inside Leviathon's stomach acid.

On the second floor of Leviathon is a village set up by many of the other people who were swallowed by Leviathon. All of the people there had a CrystRod and were attempting to get the magic spell Ultima, but it seems that Leviathon defends the spell and attacks anyone who tries to go to Mysidia Tower if he senses they have a CrystRod. There is a boat inside Leviathon with which you could escape, but no one has been able to get to it because it is guarded by a Worm. Use your CrystRod on Richard and he will join you to help you reach the boat and escape. Richard is the last Dragoon, the one about whom the dragon told you, who was trying to find Ultima. Give him the Thief Gauntlet you were saving from Layla in addition to his own equipment. He has no spells, so when you get out of Leviathon buy him Cure, Fire, Ice, and Bolt.

Leviathon is filled with great treasure. In the Southwest corner of the first floor you will find the Spiral Helmet, and in the Northeast corner you will find the Power Armor. On the second floor you will find the Power Gauntlet. In the Northeast corner of the third floor you will find the Earth Sword, and in the Southeast corner you will find the Diamond Shield. The Diamond Shield is guarded by R.Souls, but they should not be a problem at this point in the game. Give the Spiral Helmet to Guy. Give the Power Armor to Maria. Give the Power Gauntlet to Maria. Give Frioniel the Earth Sword. Give the Diamond Shield to Frioniel, and give his old Flame Shield to Richard.

On the third floor is the boat, and the Worm which guards it. Attack him as you would a normal enemy, curing as you need to. If he is a problem you can use the Change trick on him. Once you defeat the Worm get on the boat and you will now be free to enter and exit the Mysidia Tower as you see fit.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Earth Sword, Goldpin Helmet, Giant Gauntlet, Diamond Shield, Flame Armor
Maria: Power Cane, Goldpin Helmet, Power Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Power Armor
Guy: Ogre Axe, Spiral Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Black Armor
Richard: Winged Sword, Giant Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Flame Shield, Knight Armor

Back to top

If you found Leviathon, you know where the Mysidia Tower is. Approach it from the front and the CrystRod will break the energy barrier and you will be allowed inside. In the Northern part of the first floor is the WhtRobe Armor, but you will have to walk through a false wall to get to it. Give the WhtRobe Armor to Maria, and give her old Power Armor to Richard. The second floor has many different paths you could follow. Head down the Southwest passage to get to the third floor. When it branches take the North passage to get a Flame Shield (do not equip it yet, you will want it later), then head back and take the South passage to go to floor three. Floor three is covered in pools of lava. Stepping in them makes your characters lose one HP per step, but while you are walking in lava you will not encounter any enemies. So walk through lava as much as possible to avoid enemies, but take the shortest route possible so you do not lose more HP than necessary. Get all the treasures on the third floor: the Flame Sword, Flame Armor, and Flame Helmet. Give the Flame Sword to Frioniel and give Frioniel's old Earth Sword to Richard. Give the Flame Armor to Richard. Give the Flame Helmet to Frioniel, give Frioniel's old Goldpin Helmet and Giant Gauntlet to Richard, and give Richard's old Thief Gauntlet to Frioniel. Then you will face the F.Gigas. He is not much of a challenge, use Ice spells, or just attack if you do not want to waste magic on him. If you do have a problem with him use the Change trick.

Levels four and five have pools of really cold water which work the same way as the lava on level three. On the fourth floor get the Ice Gauntlet from the Southwest corner and the Ice Armor from the Southeast corner. Go up the Northeast staircase to proceed with the tower. On level five make sure to get the Ice Sword in the Northeast corner, there is a false wall through which you can walk to get there easier. Give the Ice Sword to Frioniel and give Frioniel's old Flame Sword to Richard. Give the Ice Gauntlet to Frioniel. Give the Ice Armor to Maria and give Maria's old WhtRobe Armor to Frioniel. Finally give the Flame Shield you were keeping from another floor to Guy, but keep the Ice Shield he was using. Then to get to the sixth floor you will have to defeat the I.Gigas. He is not much of a challenge either. Use the same strategy for him as you did for the F.Gigas, only with Fire spells instead of Ice. If you have trouble with him, the Change trick works on him too.

Once you kill the I.Gigas give Guy the Ice Shield back. Get the Evil Cane on the Southwest corner of the sixth floor, and give it to Maria. On level seven is the T.Gigas, the toughest of all of them. This boss is fairly challenging. He is weak against Aero, but I suggest using the Change trick since he is so hard. Level eight is sort of like a long hallway with a row of doors on each side. Go all the way to the end for the spell Flare, which is guarded by Gotuses and DvFlowers. Give Flare to one of your three permanent characters, it does not matter which. Then take the passage on the same side as Flare, but one before it, to get to level nine. Level nine is covered by water, but this time it is just normal water, it does not drain your HP or prevent you from being attacked by enemies. In the Northeast corner of level nine is the BlkRobe Armor, but it is guarded by a Dragon. Use the same strategy on the Dragon as you did on the I.Gigas. By this time, after having fought all three Gigases without resting, you are probably getting low on magic. So it may be a good idea to use the Change trick on the Dragon. Give the BlkRobe Armor to Frioniel, and give Frioniel's old WhtRobe Armor to Richard. After that proceed to level ten and talk to Minh who will die while unsealing the door to Ultima. Go through the door and there will be five crystals. The one in the middle will give you Ultima then warp you out of the Tower, so do not talk to it until you have talked to the other four. All four crystals raise one character’s stat by ten points. Which character’s stat they raise is random though, so save your game and keep talking to each crystal, checking if they raised the stat of whichever character you prefer, and loading your game and repeating the process if they did not. After you have had all four outer crystals raise the stats of your choice of character, talk to the middle crystal to leave. Give Ultima to Maria.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Ice Sword, Flame Helmet, Ice Gauntlet, Diamond Shield, BlkRobe Armor
Maria: Evil Cane, Goldpin Helmet, Power Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Ice Armor
Guy: Ogre Axe, Spiral Helmet, Thief Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Black Armor
Richard: Flame Sword, Goldpin Helmet, Giant Gauntlet, Flame Shield, WhtRobe Armor

Back to top

After you get out of the Mysidia Tower the world will be changed. The Emporer has summoned a whirlwind which destroyed Altea, Gatea, Palm, and Poft and has attacked Phin. The enemies on the outside world are much stronger in the areas in which they used to be weak. Go to Phin Castle and talk to Hilda. You will learn the password Whirlwind, and learn that the Emporer is inside the whirlwind, but that you would need to be able to fly to get inside. You will also find Layla alive in Phin having gotten back from being attacked by Leviathon by herself. Go to Phin Town, give Paul the password Whirlwind, and he will open a false wall beside his bed. Follow it to get several treasures. Give the Black Armor to Maria, give Maria's old Ice Armor to Frioniel, and give Frioniel's old BlkRobe Armor to Richard. Then go to the hall of mirrors inside Phin Castle and use the Pendant. The mirror will reveal that the Egg you put into the Spring of Life inside Dist Cave has hatched, and a small Dragon will come flying through the door with which you will be able to go inside the Whirlwind.

Now walk up to the Whirlwind and the Dragon will fly you inside. On some floors of the Whirlwind there are pools of water which decrease your HP by one for each step, but in which you can not encounter an enemy, just like in previous dungeons. Go up the Northeast staircase from the first floor and follow that path to the third floor, where you should get the Poison Axe in the Southwest corner. Give the Poison Axe to Guy. Go back down to the first floor from there and take the Northwest staircase to proceed with the dungeon. On level three you should take the Northern staircase to get the Diamond Helmet and Diamond Gauntlet. Give the Diamond Helmet to Maria and give the Diamond Gauntlet to Guy. After you have those go back down and this time take the Southwest staircase to proceed. From level four take the Southern (as opposed to Southeastern) staircase and get the Defense Sword and the Diamond Armor(2), which is guarded by a General. There are two different kinds of armor in the game which are both called Diamond Armor. To distinguish between them I am calling one the Diamond Armor and one the Diamond Armor(2). They are not ordered by the order in which you get them, since you get the Diamond Armor(2) before the Diamond Armor, but by their worth. The General is not an extremely hard enemy, just beat him up as you would anyone else. If you have trouble with that, you could use the Change trick. I would not recommend that though, since you might want to keep your MP so you can use that same strategy on the G.Dragon later and Generals do not have any MP. The G.Dragon guards the WindFlut on the floor before the Emporer, and I do not recommend you even bother trying to get it. However, if you insist, he is weak against Bolt and the Change trick works against him. Give the Defense Sword to Frioniel and give his old Ice Sword to Richard. Give the Diamond Armor(2) to Frioniel and give Frioniel's old Ice Armor to Richard. After you have gotten those go back down to the fourth floor, ignoring the staircase up which leads to nothing, and this time take the Southeastern staircase.

After that go up one more floor to encounter the Emporer. Before you reach him he calls his guards to attack you, which consist of two groups of Corps. Then when you do encounter him he will be with a Golem and two Corps. Attack the Golem then the Corps as you would if they were normal enemies, then kill the Emporer. He is much easier than the majority of the enemies you face in the Whirlwind, so just attack him and he should die after a round or two. Before he dies though he says that he is immortal.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Defense Sword, Flame Helmet, Ice Gauntlet, Diamond Shield, Diamond Armor(2)
Maria: Evil Cane, Diamond Helmet, Power Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Black Armor
Guy: Poison Axe, Spiral Helmet, Diamond Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Black Armor
Richard: Ice Sword, Goldpin Helmet, Giant Gauntlet, Flame Shield, Ice Armor

Back to top

Once you defeat the Emporer you will go back to Phin. With the death of the Emporer the people of the world think peace has returned and there is be a celebration. However, a messenger will arrive who says that the Dark Knight has taken over the throne in the place of the Emporer, so your troubles are not yet over. He also says that the Dark Knight is Lionheart. Go to Paul’s house and you will find Cid there. Talk to Cid and he dies, but not before giving you his airship. So now you can go get the airship, which is still near Poft, and use it to descend on top of Paramekia Castle, which would be otherwise inaccessible since it is surrounded by mountains.

Paramekia Castle is located right next to the Arena. When you first descend onto it you will be on floor seven a (it is a certain part of floor seven), but you will soon drop down to floor one. You can only cast Exit and get out of Paramekia Castle from floor seven a, so you will have to go up seven floors before you will be able to leave again. Get the Diamond Armor (type one) in the Western part of floor one and give it to Guy, then give Guy's old Black Armor to Richard. Proceed to level two through the staircase in the Southern part of floor one. The Bolt Javelin is in the Southwest corner of the third floor, and is guarded by Shade. Shade is very powerful, with 3000 HP, and can cast high level Curse and Death spells on your party making it very difficult to defeat him. The Change trick will not work on him. I do not recommend you attempt to get the Bolt Javelin since none of your characters are trained in the use of Javelins and it is so well guarded. However, if you do attempt to defeat him, I would recommend you cast high level Cure spells on him, since that is his weakness. If you skip the Bolt Javelin, or do manage to survive the encounter with Shade, continue to the fourth floor.

In the Northern part of a room in the Southwest part of the fourth floor get the Greed Cane and give it to Maria. Proceed to the fifth floor, and from there you should go up the Northern staircase to floor six a. There you should get the Sun Sword, which is guarded by Q.Lamias and Krulls in the Western part of the floor. Krulls are not very powerful, they only have 1000 HP, and the Change trick will work on them if you want to waste your time doing that unnecessarilly. However, since the HP of the enemies which you are facing is so low, I recommend you just beat the crap out of them. If you get an encounter with only a few enemies you should be able to beat them in one or two rounds. If you get an encounter with a lot of enemies, load your game and try it again, or try fighting a lot of them. But be warned, even though the Krulls are not very tough to kill, they can kill you easily too. Whenever they hit a person, that person dies. So this battle is mainly won just by attacking first. Give the Sun Sword to Frioniel and give his old Defense Sword to Richard. Note that the floor above this one is floor seven a, so if you need to return to a town to go to an inn, now is the time since this is the only floor from which you can cast Exit. However, your airship will be in Phin, so you will have to walk quite a while to get it back and be able to go back to Paramekia once you leave.

Once you have gotten the Sun Sword and if you choose to go on, go back down to the fifth floor and this time proceed by going up the staircase in the Southwest part of the floor. Go up two more floors and you will be in the Throne of Lionheart. Unequip Richard now since you are about to lose him. Keep his Flame Shield for the next character and sell the rest. Approach Lionheart and he will tell you he is going to carry on after the Emporer and try to rule the world. But as he is saying this the Emporer comes back from the dead and attempts to kill the four in your group and Lionheart. Your three main characters and Lionheart jump onto the Hiryuu as Richard attacks the undead Emporer to distract him long enough for you to escape. The Hiryuu flies you back to Phin and Richard dies.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Sun Sword, Flame Helmet, Ice Gauntlet, Diamond Shield, Diamond Armor(2)
Maria: Greed Cane, Diamond Helmet, Power Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Black Armor
Guy: Poison Axe, Spiral Helmet, Diamond Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Diamond Armor
Also: Flame Shield

Back to top

Once in Phin you will find out that the Emporer has risen from the dead and changed Paramekia Castle to Pandemonium Castle, which has ties to Hell. Lionheart will join your group to kill the Emporer now that Richard is gone. You learn that to get to Pandemonium Castle you will have to go through Jade Portal, which is located on the peninsula East of Mysidia. Lionheart will not leave your party, he is your fourth member from now until the end of the game. So buy him whatever spells you want to, since they will not be wasted on him when he leaves. I would recommend that you get for him, as well as everyone else in your party, Cure, Fire, Ice, Bolt, Safe, Shell, Heal, Life, and Holy. Also make sure that one person in your party has Exit, one person has Warp, one person has Ultima, and one person has Change. Give Lionheart's Diamond Helmet to Guy and give Guy's old Spiral Helmet to Lionheart.  Give Lionheart's Diamond Gauntlet to Frioniel and give Frioniel's old Ice Gauntlet to Lionheart.  Give Lionheart's Diamond Armor(2) to Maria and give Maria's old Black Armor to Lionheart.  Give Frioniel's old Sun Sword to Lionheart and give Lionheart the Flame Shield you were saving from Richard (keep in mind that at this point in the game Lionheart is left handed, so the sword should be in his left hand).

Now that Richard is dead you should go to Dist Castle to tell the residents there that the last Dragoon now really is dead. Give the mother, Elina, the password Dragoon, and she will give you the Dragoon’s secret weapon, the Xcalibr Sword, since there are no Dragoons left to use it. Then she will tell you that she and her son will move on to another town, and vanish before your eyes. Give the Xcalibr Sword to Frioniel.

Now go to the Jade Portal. Get the Diamond Cane in the Northeast corner of the first floor and give it to Maria. On the second floor there is a false wall between the staircase and first visible treasure chest on the floor. You do not need to go through the false wall to get to anything, but it is a shortcut. If you want, you can get the CatClaw Knife in the Southwest corner of the second floor. It is guarded by the B.Dragon. To defeat the B.Dragon attack it and cast Aero spells on it, or just use the Change trick. I do not recommend you get the CatClaw Knife since none of your characters are well trained in the use of Knives and it is guaded. The third floor is a waterfall, and when you are walking under the waterfall you take one damage with each step, but you can not encounter enemies while underneath it. Get the Rune Axe in the Northeast corner of the third floor and give it to Guy. It is guarded by the Behemoth(2). In the translation it is just called the Behemoth, but since there was already a Behemoth in the Arena and this one is different, for this walkthrough I will call it Behemoth(2) (I think it was a mistake in the translation). Anyway, the Behemoth(2) has a lot of HP, but is not too much of a challenge. Attack it until it dies, or use the Change trick on it. Underneath the waterfall is a hidden magic salesman. He sells Death, Berserke, Haste, and Flare. Buy Haste for everyone and buy Flare for all of your characters who do not already have it. In the northern room of the fourth floor is the Aegis Shield and Dragon Armor. Give the Aegis Shield to Guy, give the Dragon Armor to Maria, give Maria's old Diamond Armor(2) to Guy, and give Guy's old Diamond Armor to Lionheart. In the Northeast corner of the fourth floor is the Yoichi Bow, but it is guarded by a very strong R.Dragon. To defeat the R.Dragon attack it and cast Ice spells on it, or just use the Change trick. I do not recommend you attempt to get it though, since none of your characters are well trained in the use of Bows and it is guarded. Continue up to the sixth floor, and at the end of that floor you will be transported to Pandemonium Castle.

Optimal equipment at this point in the game:
Frioniel: Xcalibr Sword, Flame Helmet, Diamond Gauntlet, Diamond Shield, Diamond Armor(2)
Maria: Diamond Cane, Diamond Helmet, Power Gauntlet, Ice Shield, Dragon Armor
Guy: Rune Axe, Diamond Helmet, Diamond Gauntlet, Aegis Shield, Diamond Armor(2)
Lionheart: Flame Shield, Spiral Helmet, Ice Gauntlet, Sun Sword, Diamond Armor

Back to top

Proceed regularly through the first three levels. There is a fake wall on the third level at the end of a corridor shaped like the letter L, but it is just a shortcut, it does not allow access to anything which you could not access otherwise. On the fourth floor you will have a choice between four doors. Pick the one all the way to the West and go as far as you can through that room ignoring the first treasure chest you see. You will go through several fake walls, and eventually you will go through one fake wall in the Northeast part of the room which will take you to another room where you find the Masmune Sword, the most powerful weapon in the game. Give it to Frioniel and give Frioniel’s Xcalibr Sword to Lionheart. Then go back out the way you came, and on your way out open the treasure box in the Northwest corner of the room. It holds the Genji Gauntlet, but it is guaded by Z.Borgan. He is weak against Fire and Cure, but he is not too tough and I would not recommend wasting your MP on him. Just beat him to death. Unfortunately, the Change trick does not work on him, but it should not be necessary. Give the Genji Gauntlet to Maria and give Maria’s Power Gauntlet to Lionheart.

After that, leave the Western room and go in the next room to the East. In it you will find the Genji Helmet in the Northeast part of the room, but it is guarded by Tiamat. Bolt, Fire, Ice, and Aero heal Tiamat and he has no weaknesses, so use physical attacks or strong magic spells like Ultima, Flare, and Holy. However, the easiest way to beat Tiamat is to use the Change trick, which works on him. Give the Genji Helmet to Guy, give Guy's old Diamond Helmet to Frioniel, and give Frioniel’s old Flame Helmet to Lionheart.

After that leave that room and enter the room farthest to the East. In the Northern part of this room is the Genji Armor, which is guarded by Satan. Fire heals him and he has no weaknesses. Attack him with physical attacks or strong magic spells, or you could just use the Change trick. Give the Genji Armor to Frioniel, and give Frioniel's old Diamond Armor(2) to Lionheart.

Finally leave that room and enter the only one which is left, the room directly to the West of that one. In the Northern part of this room is the Ribbon Helmet, which is guarded by Asteroth. Asteroth has no weaknesses and is probably the toughest enemy in the game with the exception of the final boss. You could use physical attacks and strong magic such as Ultima, Flare, and Holy, or you could just use the Change trick on him too. The Ribbon Helmet’s defense rating is not very high, although it has other strengths such as high Magic Defense and invincibility to elemental attacks and status ailments. Depending on your type of strategy, you could give it to Lionheart, or not equip it at all and just skip that treasure box. Personally, I did not use it.