======================================================================== A N U N O F F I C I A L F I N A L F A N T A S Y V I I I W A L K T H R O U G H ======================================================================== Version: 2.2 System: Sony PlayStation Author: Cephiroth (cephiroth@yahoo.com) Author's Notes: Hello, and welcome to version 2.2 of "An Unofficial Final Fantasy VIII Walkthrough", which covers both the U.S and Japanese releases of this epic RPG. Well, it's been quite a while since this guide began as a tiny FAQ for the trial edition of FF VIII in July of 1998, and I think it's time I called it quits. As such, this revision will be the last; I'll like to thank everyone who wrote in. I recommend that you view this document in a font with a fixed width such as courier, as the layout for this FAQ has been optimized in using the courier font. ================================= R e v i s i o n H i s t o r y ================================= {Japanese Trial Version} - Version 0.1 - (24th July, 1998) - Version 0.2 - (31st July, 1998) {Japanese Version} - Version 0.3 - (16th April, 1999) - Version 0.4 - (13th June, 1999) - Version 1.0 - (23rd June, 1999) - Version 1.1 - (26th June, 1999) - Version 1.2 - (3rd July, 1999) - Version 1.3 - (10th July, 1999) - Version 1.4 - (24th July, 1999) - Version 1.5 - (30th July, 1999) - Version 1.6 - (8th August, 1999) - Version 1.7 - (15th August, 1999) - Version 1.8 - (22nd August, 1999) {U.S. Version} - Version 1.9 - (12th September, 1999) - Version 2.0 - (9th October, 1999) - Version 2.1 - (24th October, 1999) - Version 2.2 - (21st November, 1999) Well, I did state that version 2.1 was going to be the final revision, but there were some e-mails wanting me to add more stuff to this guide; The 'Card Queen' side quest is now included; look for it in Disc Three of the Walkthrough section, under 'Miscellaneous Updates Part 3' (event 5n). Each individual event in the Walkthrough section has also been classified, and the Appendix section has yet again been expanded to include a Shopping List. If there's nothing else to add, then version 2.2 will see this FAQ achieving full completion. The newest revision of this FAQ can be found at the following site: http://www.gamefaqs.com. Disclaimer: This FAQ is intended for private and personal use, and can only be re -produced electronically if you contact me via e-mail first. This FAQ cannot be used for profitable purposes. All copyrights and trademarks that are not specifically mentioned in this FAQ are acknowledged. No parts of this FAQ may be altered in any way; please give credit where it is due. Permission is not granted for anyone to update this guide. "Final Fantasy VIII" (c) 1999 Squaresoft "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "An Unofficial Final Fantasy VIII Walkthrough" (c) Cephiroth 1998-1999. ================================= T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s ================================= I. Cast II. Basic System III. Menu Tutorial IV. Battle Tutorial V. Card Battle VI. SeeD Ranking VII. Full Walkthrough -Disc One- 1. SeeD 2. Assassination -Disc Two- 3. Edea the Sorceress -Disc Three- 4. Esthar 5. Lovers -Disc Four- 6. Time Compression VIII. Appendix a. G.F Locations b. Magazine Locations c. Blue Magic Lists d. Weapon Remodeling Lists e. Rare Card Locations f. Shopping Lists g. EXP and AP Havens IX. Credits Unless otherwise stated, names in the Japanese version are bracketed. Also, the contents for chapters 1 to 6 in the Walkthrough section are only displayed after a new chapter is introduced. ======================================================================== I. C A S T ======================================================================== [Introduction] A graduate from the world famous military school, Garden, Squall meets a mysterious young girl at a campus party. Her carefree nature gradually influences Squall, a cold-hearted young man who rejects the presence of others. In a sudden twist of fate, the nation of Galbadia declares war on the entire world... standing by the Galbadian President as he makes his speech is a sorceress, a symbol long forgotten from the memories of the people... [Characters] Final Fantasy VIII offers a wide cast of characters who play various roles in this epic saga. Appearing in no particular order: Squall Leonhart Age: 17 Sex: Male Height: 177 cm (5'8") Blood type: AB Birthdate: August 23rd Weapon: Gunblade The main character of ff 8, Squall is a short-spoken and emotionless young man. A student of Balamb Garden, he's an introvert with little concern for his comrades; few can actually claim to understand him. A cold and mysterious guy. Limit Break: Renzokuken Squall launches into an array of slashes, and sometimes finishes off his 'Renzokuken' with a spectacular blow, which varies accordingly to the type of Gunblade he's carrying. During his Limit Break sequence, a Special gauge will appear; hit R1 when the moving yellow beacon enters the 2nd to left bracket for double damage. His finishing blow appears at RANDOM, so don't worry too much about it. Squall acquires up to 4 finishing blows in the entire game. Literally translated, Renzokuken means Sequential Blade. -SPECIAL------------------------------------------------ | | Press | # Moving # | | | 'R1' | <--- # yellow # | | | here | # beacon # | -------------------------------------------------------- You can choose to set this feature on 'Auto' in Squall's status screen. Rough Divide: Squall charges at a single enemy and performs an upward slice. Available to: All Gunblades. Fated Circle: Squall releases an energy wave while in mid-air with his Gunblade, which targets all enemies. Available to: Shear Trigger Gunblade upwards. Blasting Zone: Squall's Gunblade forms a gigantic beam pillar that smashes all opponents. Available to: Flame Saber Gunblade upwards. Lion Heart: Squall slashes a single target 18 times, doing heavy damage with each cut. The Lion Heart move was termed 'End of Heart' in the Japanese version. Available to: Lionheart Gunblade. As you upgrade his Gunblade, more finishing moves are opened up. Lion Heart's probably the strongest attack in the entire game. Refer to the Appendix section for a list detailing weapon remodeling. Rinoa Heartilly Age: 17 Sex: Female Height: 163 cm (5'4") Blood type: Unknown Birthdate: March 3rd Weapon: Blaster Edge Final Fantasy 8's female lead, Rinoa, is both angelic and bubbly. She loves to speak her mind, and has the habit of acting on impulse. Rinoa and Squall met during one of SeeD's inauguration parties. Limit Breaks: Combine / Angel Wing (Varly) Rinoa summons Angelo, her pet dog. She's capable of dealing out several unique attacks. Angelo learns new tricks when Rinoa reads 'Pet Pals'. The respective skill then appears in Rinoa's 'Specials' window. Learning a new skill is done by highlighting it with the arrow; the more steps Rinoa takes, the more the bar fills up. A trick is considered to be learnt when the bar is fully filled, and a ring will sound to indicate this. For a complete listing of Pet Pals locations, refer to the Appendix section. Angelo Rush: Random counter-attack, Angelo charges at a single foe. (Learnt Trick) Angelo Recover: Randomly restores HP to a weakened party member. (Learnt in Pet Pals Vol. 2) Angelo Reverse: Randomly restores a KO'ed party member. (Learnt in Pet Pals Vol. 4) Angelo Search: Randomly finds items on the battlefield. (Learnt in Pet Pals Vol. 5) Angelo Cannon: Resultant explosion hits all enemies. (Learnt Trick) Angelo Strike: Sends a single target crashing onto the ground. (Learnt in Pet Pals Vol. 1) Invincible Moon: Puts entire party in Invincible status. (Learnt in Pet Pals Vol. 3) Wishing Star: Shooting stars devastate all foes several times. (Learnt in Pet Pals Vol. 6) Angel Wing will only become available in Disc Three; in this mode Rinoa is controlled by the computer and can only cast random spells, all of which hit for maximum results. Seifer Almasy Age: 18 Sex: Male Height: 188 cm (6'2") Blood type: O Birthdate: December 22nd Weapon: Gunblade Seifer is gifted with natural fighting abilities, but his eagerness for victory and impatience makes him one of Balamb Garden's problematic students. He is aware of Squall's capability, and views him fiercely as a rival. Limit Break: Fire Cross (Shimatsusuken) Seifer casts a spell on the enemy, then gathers energy upon his Gun -blade before unleashing multiple energy arcs which home in on their targets, leaving spectacular green trails behind them. Zell Dincht Age: 17 Sex: Male Height: 168 cm (5'5") Blood type: B Birthdate: March 17th Weapon: Gloves Young and brash Zell aspires to be just like his grandfather, a famous military figure. His ambitions made him enter Balamb Garden at the age of 13. Zell doesn't give in without a fight, however his actions make him appear somewhat immature and rash. Limit Break: Duel Zell displays his hand-to-hand prowess with a dazzling combo of skills. All of them are performed SF-style under a timer. Zell gains new skills via collecting issues of 'Combat King'. He may also learn some of his special moves when he reaches higher levels. When the window appears, enter the commands quickly in the given time period and a new window should appear. Trigger any one of the moves within, and keep at it until you see his finishing move command flashing in the window. Perform that to end a successful 'Duel'. This feature can be set on 'Auto' in Zell's status screen. Rush Punch: O , X (Learnt) Booya: Right , Left (Learnt) Heel Drop: Up , Down (Learnt) Mach Kick: Left , Left , O (Learnt) Dolphin Blow: L1 , R1 , L1 , R1 (CK 001) Meteor Strike: Down , O , Up , O (CK 002) %Burning Rave: Down , Down , Down , Down , O (Learnt) %Meteor Barret: Up , X , Down , T , O (CK 003) %Different Beat: T , S , X , O , Up (CK 004) %My Final Heaven: Up , Right , Down , Left , T (CK 005) '%' denotes finishing moves. Regardless of the amount of time left, once such a move is performed, Zell is forced to end 'Duel' pre -maturely. Try to fit in a few more normal moves before that if you can. For a complete listing of Combat King locations, refer to the Appendix section. %Burning Rave: Rush Punch, Mach Kick, Rush Punch, Heel Drop OR Meteor Strike, Burning Rave %Burning Rave: Booya, Heel Drop, Meteor Strike, Booya, Burning Rave %Meteor Barret: Rush Punch, Dolphin Blow, Meteor Barret %Meteor Barret: Booya, Meteor Strike, Dolphin Blow, Rush Punch, Mach Kick, Meteor Barret %Meteor Barret: Booya, Heel Drop, Mach Kick, Heel Drop, Booya, Rush Punch, Mach Kick, Meteor Barret %Different Beat: Rush Punch, Booya, Meteor Strike, Booya, Different Beat %Different Beat: Booya, Heel Drop, Mach Kick, Heel Drop, Booya, Different Beat %My Final Heaven: Rush Punch, Booya, Heel Drop, Meteor Strike, My Final Heaven %My Final Heaven: Booya, Heel Drop, Mach Kick, Rush Punch, My Final Heaven Quistis Trepe Age: 18 Sex: Female Height: 172 cm (5'6") Blood type: A Birthdate: October 4th Weapon: Chain Whip Orphaned at the age of 5, Quistis joined Garden at 10 and officially became a member of SeeD when she reached 15. She's a good mentor towards Squall. Quistis is one who's not used to setbacks, and demands only the best from herself. Limit Break: Blue Magic (Enemy Skills) Quistis draws from her massive collection of enemy skills to unleash upon her opponents. Unlike the rest, Quistis learns new skills via special items dropped by (or stolen from) her defeated opponents. Use these items on Quistis in your inventory screen. Laser Eye: A laser beam hits a single target. Ultra Waves: Sonic waves affect all targets, causing damage and Berserk conditions. Electrocute: A lightning bolt fries all targets. LV?Death: Randomly kills foes bearing a certain level. Degenerator: Wipes out a single target. Aqua Breath: Gigantic water bubbles drown all targets. Micro Missile: Cuts a single enemy's HP to half. Acid: Causes all types of status maladies to a single opponent. Gatling Gun: Fires multiple rounds at a single target. Fire Breath: Engulfs all foes in a fire flood. Bad Breath: Causes all types of status maladies to all opponents. White Wind: Restores HP to all members. Magnitude is determined by caster's present HP. Homing Laser: A powerful laser beam hits a single target. Mighty Guard: Endows all members with Protect, Shell, Haste, Regen and Float. Ray-Bomb: Resultant explosion smashes all enemies. Shockwave Pulsar: The strongest Blue Magic, causes devastating damage to all foes. For a complete listing of all Blue Magic locations, refer to the Appendix section. Irvine Kinneas Age: 17 Sex: Male Height: 185 cm (6'0") Blood type: A Birthdate: November 24th Weapon: Shot Gun Irvine is full of confidence of himself and his shooting skills are matched by none. He hails from Galbadia Garden, and calls himself 'Garden's Elite Sharpshooter'. Easy-going and humourous, Irvine's also a big flirt. Limit Break: Shot Irvine selects from his collection of special ammo and unleashes it upon his opponents. Hit R1 repeatedly to fire his gun. Bullets are purchased from stores, obtained from enemies or received via 'Ammo Refinement' and 'Card Mod.' menu abilities. Each type of ammunition has its own unique element. Normal Ammo: Standard damage to single target. (1 Screw = 8 Normal Ammo) Shotgun Ammo: Standard damage to all targets. Fast Ammo: Low damage to all targets. Extremely quick firing rate. (1 Normal Ammo or Shotgun Ammo = 1 or 2 Fast Ammo respectively) Fire Ammo: Moderate to high fire-typed damage to all targets. (1 Fuel, 1 Bomb Fragment or 1 Red Fang = 10, 20 or 40 Fire Ammo respectively) Dark Ammo: Standard status-changing damage to single target. (1 Poison Powder or 1 Venom Fang = 10 or 20 Dark Ammo respectively) Demolition Ammo: Heavy damage to single target. Slow firing rate. (1 Missile, 1 Running Fire or 1 Cactus Thorn = 20, 40 or 40 Demolition Ammo respectively) AP Ammo: Heavy damage to single target. Average firing rate. (1 Sharp Spike or 1 Chef's Knife = 10 or 20 AP Ammo respectively) Pulse Ammo: Maximum damage to single target. Average firing rate. (1 Laser Cannon, 1 Energy Crystal or 1 Power Generator = 5, 10 or 20 Pulse Ammo respectively) When the blue bar in the bottom right corner depletes, 'Shot' ends. You can also end it prematurely by pressing the cancel button. This helps when the enemy's already dead, which is indicated when your shots start doing zero damage. Selphie Tilmitt Age: 17 Sex: Female Height: 157 cm (5'2") Blood type: B Birthdate: July 16th Weapon: Nunchaku A student of Trabia Garden, Selphie is known to be responsible yet naive in her thinking. She's playful and child-like, but overall Selphie's comfortable to be with. Limit Break: Slot Selphie casts a random spell from her slot machine. When this window appears, the 1st option, 'Do Over' lets you scroll through the spells randomly; the 2nd, 'Cast' makes Selphie cast it, often with doubled or tripled results. Remember that time runs while you're selecting spells, so be quick. Full-Cure: Completely restores all members' HPs. Wall: Endows party members with Protect and Shell. Rapture: Takes the target away from battle. Useless against bosses and flying monsters. The End: Eliminates practically any enemy (including bosses!). Useless against undeads and the final boss. 'The End' appears very rarely. Your chances of using a rare spell increases when Selphie's HP is low, and when she has a high Luck rating. Fujin Age: 17 Sex: Female Height: Unknown Blood type: Unknown Birthdate: Unknown Weapon: Pin Wheel Tomboyish, emotionless and quiet, Fujin exhibits a tough demeanour equaling that of any man. She also has a habit of speaking entirely in short, curt sentences. Raijin Age: 18 Sex: Male Height: Unknown Blood type: Unknown Birthdate: Unknown Weapon: Staff Loud-spoken, rash and unrefined, Raijin is the exact opposite of his sister. Both of them work under Seifer in Balamb Garden in the Disciplinary Committee. Laguna Loire Age: 27 Sex: Male Height: 181 cm (5'9") Blood type: B Birthdate: March 1st Weapon: Machine Gun A man with a strong sense of justice, Laguna believes in protecting the weak. Formerly a soldier, he's now a journalist with Timber Maniacs, having decided to trade in his sword for a pen. Optimistic and cheerful, Laguna is very much a people's person. Limit Break: Desperado Laguna hurls a grenade at the enemy, leaps and latches onto a rope while opening continuous fire with his Machine Gun, and ends his Limit Break with the detonation of the grenade, throwing the enemy sky-high. Causes damage to all targets. Ward Zabac Sex: Male Age: 25 Height: 217 cm (7'0") Blood type: A Birthdate: February 25th Weapon: Harpoon Tough-talking and ominous, Ward sports a scar (which seems to be all the rage nowadays in ff 8) and a big, mean harpoon. Not someone you'll want to agitate. He's pretty at ease with his pals, Laguna and Kiros though. Limit Break: Massive Anchor Ward hurls his harpoon into the air, leaps up to retrieve it, then pierces the enemies with a downward thrust, causing a massive explosion. Affects all enemies. Kiros Seagill Age: 23 Sex: Male Height: 191 cm (6'3") Blood type: O Birthdate: July 6th Weapon: Katals Looking much more refined than his fellow counterpart Ward, Kiros formerly served in the Galbadian army, with katals as his weapon. Both Ward and him have a very good working relationship with Laguna. Limit Break: Blood Pain Kiros goes into a slashing frenzy with his katals, approximately cutting the enemy 7 to 8 times. Critical hits appear at random. Single target. Edea Age: Unknown Sex: Female Height: Unknown Blood type: Unknown Birthdate: Unknown Weapon: Sorcery Not much is known about her, but supposedly she's a sorceress bent on creating trouble. Edea is said to be the mastermind behind Galbadia's world domination plans, and has shocked the world with her return... sorceresses were thought to be extinct previously. Cid Kramer Age: Unknown Sex: Male Height: Unknown Blood type: Unknown Birthdate: Unknown This lovable character once again makes an appearance, this time as the headmaster of Balamb Garden! He's well-liked by students for his kindly nature and friendly student policies. Cid tends to be a little long-winded this time round, and contrary to previous Cids, he has trouble dealing with mechanics initially. ======================================================================== II. B A S I C S Y S T E M ======================================================================== [Controller Operations] Under the default settings in the U.S. version, the controls are as follows: All of the pre-rendered areas in ff 8 are considered field screens. D-pad/Left Analog-Stick: Moves the party around and highlights choices Start: Brings up the bar that toggles the rumble feature on/off and pauses the game X: Opens up conversations, picks up items, activate switches, examine ladders (press Up or Down on the d-pad to climb), confirms choices Triangle: Cancel. Press together with the d-pad to WALK / Displays Rules screen in Card Battle Square: Opens up conversations or initiates a Card Battle game - more on that later Circle: Displays the menu screen R1+R2+L1+L2+Select+Start: Resets the game. You must first pause the game using 'Start'. The Overworld is the huge 3D polygonal map you use to travel between towns and dungeons. D-pad/Left Analog-Stick: Moves the party or vehicle around and highlights choices Right Analog-Stick: Moves vehicle forward or backward Start: Brings up the bar that toggles the rumble feature on/off and pauses the game Select: Toggles the World Sphere/Map on/off X: Search locations, mount/dismount vehicle Triangle: Reverses vehicle Square: Accelerates vehicle Circle: Displays the menu screen R1: Rotates the camera clockwise L1: Rotates the camera anti-clockwise R2: Switches between view points R1+R2+L1+L2+Select+Start: Resets the game. You must first pause the game using 'Start'. D-pad/Left Analog-Stick: Highlights commands Start: Pauses the game and brings up the help window, along with the rumble feature window Select: Hides all windows when held down X: Confirms selected command Triangle: Cancels and closes windows Square: When a G.F. has learnt 'Boost' G.F. ability, hold down Select during the summoning sequence; tap repeatedly when the finger icon appears, and stop when a red cross appears over the finger. You can increase your G.F.'s power if you do it right / Press to scroll in the Status window if a character is affected by multiple conditions Circle: Hit to switch to another character who has a full time bar R1: Trigger. When timed in conjunction with Squall's Gunblade, this will allow for double damage / Press repeatedly during Irvine's limit break sequence to fire his gun L1: Toggles the target window on/off R2+L2: Press together to escape. Does not work on bosses R1+R2+L1+L2+Select+Start: Resets the game. D-pad/Left Analog-Stick: Moves the cursor / Moves scroll bar left or right in the Junction, Item, Magic, G.F, Abilities and Card screens X: Confirms the selected command / Brings up the Element, Status, G.F. and Specials chart in the Status screens Triangle: Cancels the selected command and closes the menu screen Square: Displays character's Specials chart in their respective status screens / Removes junctioned magic spell R1/L1: Switches between characters or G.Fs in their respective status screens Which gets kind of confusing, especially if you're used to the controls in the previous Final Fantasies. Try customizing the controls under the Config. command in the menu screen to the Japanese version: D-pad/Left Analog-Stick: Moves the party around and highlights choices Start: Brings up the bar that toggles the rumble feature on/off and pauses the game Circle: Opens up conversations, picks up items, activate switches, examine ladders (press Up or Down on the d-pad to climb), confirms choices X: Cancel. Press together with the d-pad to WALK Square: Opens up conversations or initiates a Card Battle game - more on that later Triangle: Displays the menu screen / Displays Rules screen in Card Battle R1+R2+L1+L2+Select+Start: Resets the game. You must first pause the game using 'Start'. D-pad/Left Analog-Stick: Moves the party or vehicle around and highlights choices Right Analog-Stick: Moves vehicle forward or backward Start: Brings up the bar that toggles the rumble feature on/off and pauses the game Select: Toggles the World Sphere/Map on/off Circle: Search locations, mount/dismount vehicle X: Reverses vehicle Square: Accelerates vehicle Triangle: Displays the menu screen R1: Rotates the camera clockwise L1: Rotates the camera anti-clockwise R2: Switches between view points R1+R2+L1+L2+Select+Start: Resets the game. You must first pause the game using 'Start'. D-pad/Left Analog-Stick: Highlights commands Start: Pauses the game and brings up the help window, along with the rumble feature window Select: Hides all windows when held down Circle: Confirms selected command X: Cancels and closes windows Square: When a G.F. has learnt 'Boost' G.F. ability, hold down Select during the summoning sequence; tap repeatedly when the finger icon appears, and stop when a red cross appears over the finger. You can increase your G.F.'s power if you do it right / Press to scroll in the Status window if a character is affected by multiple conditions Triangle: Hit to switch to another character who has a full time bar R1: Trigger. When timed in conjunction with Squall's Gunblade, this will allow for double damage / Press repeatedly during Irvine's limit break sequence to fire his gun L1: Toggles the target window on/off R2+L2: Press together to escape. Does not work on bosses R1+R2+L1+L2+Select+Start: Resets the game. D-pad/Left Analog-Stick: Moves the cursor / Moves scroll bar left or right in the Junction, Item, Magic, G.F, Abilities and Card screens Circle: Confirms the selected command / Brings up the Element, Status G.F. and Specials chart in the Status screens X: Cancels the selected command and closes the menu screen Square: Displays character's Specials chart in their respective status screens / Removes junctioned magic spell R1/L1: Switches between characters or G.Fs in their respective status screens [Getting Started] The 2 choices that appear when you start up the game are 'New Game' and 'Continue' respectively. If you're continuing a game from saved data, take the 2nd option. Otherwise, move the cursor to 'New Game' and hit 'X' (U.S) or 'Circle' (Japanese) to proceed. [Changing Discs] The game will prompt you when you need to insert a new disc. Do this by opening the CD cover (there's no need to switch off the power) of the PlayStation, replacing the disc inside with the required one, and closing the cover. [Gameplay Basics] Below are some of the basic systems and events in the world of ff 8. Save often; this enables you to resume play at an earlier point should you fail in battle or in certain game events. The Save command (found in the Menu screen) is used to record a position on the Overworld or on a Save Point. The latter are found as blue and orange bands of light orbiting around a black orb. You need a Memory Card peripheral, which is sold separately, to save your game. A reduced world map/sphere (press 'Select' to switch between them) is shown in the bottom-right corner of the Overworld. In this map, the direction Squall is facing will be represented by a cone-shaped yellow beam. The red dot shows Squall's current location. There're various establishments in the world of ff 8. The following are some of them: HOTELS Spend a night here to recover the HPs of your party members and G.Fs. Characters affected by abnormal status are also cured. Hotels usually house Save Points. CAR RENTAL SHOPS Cars can be rented for 3,500 gil here. They allow you to travel on the Overworld quickly while keeping enemy encounters non-existent. Note that you'll need fuel to actually drive one properly. TRAIN STATIONS Trains provide a convenient way of shuttling between major cities. A ticket costs 3,000 gil. SHOPS You can pick various restorative items, fuel, ammunition and the occasional book from them. They'll also offer to buy any excess items you have in your inventory list. JUNK STORES They specialise in remodeling your weapons. PET STORES You'll find a wide assortment of items for your G.Fs and issues of Pet Pals here. In ff 8, Square has done away with armours completely, leaving only weapons which can be remodeled. This is done via collecting raw materials such as Screws and Steel Pipes by defeating (or stealing from) enemies, then visiting Junk Stores -- they specialise in upgrading your weapons. Throughout the course of the game you will come across Weapons Monthly magazines; these detail the specific raw materials needed to remodel a particular weapon. The MP (Magic Points) system which has graced the Final Fantasy series for so long has all but disappeared in ff 8. Rather, spells behave more like items now, with limited usage of each spell, i.e. Laguna may have only 20 'Fire' spells in his magic list, which means he can only cast 'Fire' 20 times before it runs out. To replenish this stock of spells, you must draw them either from enemies in combat via the 'Draw' command, or depend on... Treasure chests are non-existent in ff 8; they've been replaced by Draw Points, special locations from where you can gain magic spells for free from. Draw Points recover after a certain period of time has elapsed. They're found as purple bands bonded together to form a sphere. Some Draw Points never recover themselves; you can identify them when they turn blue after they've been drawn from. Guardian Forces are summoned creatures that join in on your quest. Unlike the previous Final Fantasies, they play a much greater role in ff 8; they form the foundations of any character, and determine the person's capability in battle. Of course, G.Fs are still a force to be reckoned with in combat, and many familiar summon monsters have made a return in ff 8. ****** A new system involving spells and G.Fs has been created in ff 8: the Junction System. This will be your main source of powering up your party members in ff 8; refer to the Menu Tutorial section below for more details. This new system is *extremely* important, so make sure you take time to learn it! ======================================================================== III. M E N U T U T O R I A L ======================================================================== [The Menu Screen] Pushing the 'Circle' (U.S) or 'Triangle' (Japanese) button out of battle brings up the menu screen. Twelve commands can be issued from here. In addition, the menu screen also provides gameplay information such as your current location (check the bottom-left window) and your playing time, SeeD rank, plus total amount of Gil (the form of currency in ff 8) in the bottom-right window. The window in the upper-right consists of 11 commands. Reading from top to bottom, they're: Junction, Item, Magic, Status, G.F., Abilities, Switch, Cards, Configuration, Tutorial and finally Save. [Junction] The Junction system combines both the Materia and Job system together, enabling you to build the kind of character you want. It does this by allowing spells themselves to double as character-building elements. I'll give a brief diagram of how the Junction Screen looks like: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |Notice JUNCTION OFF AUTO ABILITIES | JUNCTION | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |Help Window | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (Portrait) (Magic/Equipped G.Fs List) (Equipped Commands/G.Fs List) (Current EXP) (Required EXP for Next Level) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |HP Attached Spell (CHANGE) S Attack S Def. E Attack E Def. | |Strength -- Speed -- | |Vitality -- Evasion% -- | |Magic -- Hit% -- | |Spirit -- Luck -- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *S Attack and S Def.: Status Attack and Status Defense E Attack and E Def.: Elemental Attack and Elemental Defense (they'll be highlighted if junctioning spells to them is possible) In a nutshell, here's how the whole thing works: 1. Gain G.Fs through drawing from bosses, receiving as gifts or defeating the G.Fs themselves. Open up the menu screen. 2. Junction a GF (a character can have multiple GFs junctioned) to a party member by selecting 'Junction', and then 'GF.'. Press 'X' (U.S) or 'Circle' (Japanese) to equip a GF. GFs already junctioned will be indicated by a symbol next to their names. Hit 'Triangle' (U.S) or 'X' (Japanese) when you're done equipping. If you already have a stock of spells in that particular character's spells list, jump straight to point 4. Otherwise, ignore the 'Auto' window which pops up, equip the 'Draw' command ability under the 'Abilities' window, then proceed onto point 3. 3. Draw spells for junctioning from enemies or Draw Points. Different spells have varying effects on the same parameter. You can have a maximum of 100 for each type of spell. Once you've amassed enough spells, select the 'Auto' command in the Junction sub-screen. 4. Choose to optimize your character, based either on 'Attack', 'Magic' or 'Defense': Attack: Places emphasis on 'Strength' parameter Magic: Places emphasis on 'Magic' parameter Defense: Places emphasis on 'HP' parameter (not Vitality rating!) 5. Select the abilities you want available to your character. 6. If you're not happy with the junctioned magic spells, choose 'Junction' again, and then 'Magic'. Change the spells if you want, or remove them with 'Square'. Alternatively, the 'Off' command works well if you wish to de-equip all junctioned spells (select 'Magic') or all G.Fs, spells and abilities (select 'All'). If your character has the ability to junction spells to Elemental Attack/Defense or Status Attack/Defense, use the d-pad to scroll the junction screen left. The higher the amount of spells (max. 100) junctioned to a parameter, the better the effect. 7. From the menu screen, select G.F. Tap 'X' (U.S) or 'Circle' (Japanese) at a G.F's status window, and select the ability you want it to learn. Abilities are divided into six different types: Junction, Command, Character, Party, G.F. and Menu. 8. Each ability takes up varying amounts of AP to learn. APs are earned after battles. You should select the types of abilities to master according to your situation. +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Junction: Allows a character to attach spells to his or her | | parameters, thus increasing their overall fighting | | capabilities. | |e.g. 'HP J' lets one junction spells to his or her HP parameter. | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ |!Command: Gives a character commands which are usable in battle. | |e.g. 'Magic' allows a party member to cast spells. | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Character: Modifies or adds special conditions to a character while in| | battle. | |e.g. 'Mug' replaces the 'Attack' command in battle, thus allowing | | one to plunder items from the enemy. | |e.g. 'Auto Protect' puts a character in 'Protect' status immediately | | at the start of each fight. | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Party: Adds certain helpful abilities to the entire party, be it in | | combat or outside of it. | |e.g. 'Alert' prevents pre-emptive attacks from enemies. | |e.g. 'Move-Find' reveals hidden Draw and Save Points. | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ |G.F.: Raises a G.F's capability in battle. | |e.g. 'Summon Magic +40%' increases the strength of a G.F. by 40%. | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Menu: Provides the party with handy abilities via the menu screen. | |e.g. 'Ice Magic Refinement' allows the creation of 'Blizzard' spells | | from certain special items. | |e.g. 'Call Shop' lets you access any shop you've come across before at| | anytime, anyplace. | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Again, I can't begin to stress on the importance of the Junction System in ff 8. If you really want to survive some of the tougher bosses in this game, then it is vital you MASTER this system! [Item] This command is primarily used for curing your party, and tinkering with the abilities of your G.Fs. You have access to a total of 4 choices. Reading from left to right, they're: Use: Select this to use the items present in your inventory list. Items which are unusable will be displayed in grey. Press left or right on the d-pad to scroll through the list of items. There're a variety of items in ff 8; you can only carry 100 of each type. Rearrange: Lets you arrange your items in the order you prefer. Sort: The computer arranges your items for you automatically. Battle: Arranges the lineup of items when the 'Item' command is used in battle. Un-wanted items cannot be discarded; either use them in battle to get rid of them, or sell them (more practical) to shops. [Magic] The Magic command allows you to cure your party (provided you have the correct type of spells) as well as to arrange and swap spells among the party members. Reading from left to right, the 4 choices here are: Use: Lets you cast a particular heal-typed spell. In ff 8, you cannot target multiple members with a single spell, so you'll have to cure each character separately. There're a variety of spells in ff 8; you can only carry 100 of each type in a character's spells list. Exchange: Allows you to manually swap spells between party members. - 'Give All' transfers an entire spell type to the member in the lower row. - 'Take All' transfers an entire spell type to the member in the upper row. - 'Split' enables you to specify the amount of spells to be swapped. All: Swaps an entire set of spells list between party members. Rearrange: Lets you determine the placement of spells when the 'Magic' command is used in battle. There's really no easy way to discard un-wanted spells in the Japanese version. You can either cast them in battle (summon G.F Cerberus beforehand for an easier time), or use menu abilities such as G.F. Quezacotl's Mid. Magic Refinement to get rid of some of the weaker variations of magics. In the U.S version, spells can be discarded by placing the cursor over them and pressing 'Square'. [Status] Execute this command to learn about a character's current condition. Apart from his or her name, current level (a yellowish insignia beside this indicates that the particular member is in your main party), HP (Health or Hit Points) values, current Experience and the amount of Experience Points required to advance to the next level, equipped abilities and weapon, the Status sub-menu also displays the party member's status values: (note: You can switch between characters using R1 or L1) Strength: Capability to do Speed: Rate at which ATB fills damage. during battle. Vitality: Resistance to physical Luck: Deciding factor for speed of attacks. escaping, items dropped, no. of spells drawn, etc. Magic: Determines the Evasion%: Ability to avoid attacks magnitude of spells. completely. Spirit: Resistance to magical Hit%: Hit rate for current weapon attacks. Pressing the 'X' (U.S) or 'Circle' (Japanese) button brings up the Elemental Attack, Elemental Defense, Status Attack and Status Defense ratings of that character. Hitting the button another time brings up the G.F. affiliation chart for that party member. Refer to the G.F. sub-section below for details as to what this chart means. Finally, tapping the same button again displays the Limit Breaks list of that character. Alternatively, this list can also be displayed by simply pressing 'Square'. For Squall and Zell, you can set their Limit Breaks on auto (the computer takes care of the button pressing), but I advise you ignore this feature, seeing how the computer misses the timings so often. Besides, it's more fun to do it by yourself ^_^ [G.F.] The G.F. screen shows the stats of your acquired summon monsters. Hit R1 or L1 to scroll between G.Fs. Pressing 'X' (U.S) or 'Circle' (Japanese) at a G.F's status screen brings up its abilities list. Each G.F can only learn up to 22 abilities in its natural course, unless you decide to tinker with them using certain G.F ability items. G.Fs learn abilities by gaining AP (Ability Points) or using items. They can also raise their HP and power via levelling up or certain abilities. However, unlike AP, G.Fs in battle SHARE the EXP the character which they've been junctioned to receives, i.e. if Squall has both Quezacotl and Shiva junctioned, and receives 300 EXP plus 8 AP at the end of a fight, each of the 2 G.Fs gain 150 EXP and 8 AP. You might want to de-equip the stronger G.Fs for a while if you want to build up weaker ones. And mind you, new G.Fs often start off pathetically weak. Every G.F. takes 500 EXP to gain a level, with the exception of the 16th and final G.F, Eden (1,000 EXP). G.Fs also have different mindsets towards each character (the red bar along with the numbers in the G.F. screen indicate how much they like each member). The higher the value, the lesser the time it takes to summon them. This value is increased by summoning them, or casting spells of the same element as the G.F, i.e. Fire spells raise Ifrit's opinion of the character. Likewise, if you use Blizzard spells, you'll lower Ifrit's rating towards the member but raise Shiva's affection. Another ability I'll like to highlight here is the 'Boost' G.F. ability, or 'Ouen'. As mentioned in the Basic System section, this comes into play during the summoning sequences (hold Select, then tap Square at the correct times) for certain G.Fs. Normally, G.Fs use only 100% of their strength during a summon. However, the 'Boost' ability actually drops this back to 75%, but you can raise it to 250% if you're a quick tapper, or have a turbo controller on hand. It's just an element of risk undertaken in using 'Boost'. Credit goes to Adam for this bit of info. If you're reading this, thanks. Try to learn this ability first whenever you acquire a new G.F. (it takes only 10 AP anyway). [Abilities] Allows usage of learnt menu abilities such as 'Fire Magic Refinement' or 'Junk Store'. Tap left or right on the d-pad to scroll. [Switch] Once your party exceeds three members, you must select 2 characters to accompany Squall. This command is only available on the Overworld and on Save Points in the field screens for the Japanese version. In the U.S version, an additional command, 'Junction Exchange', enables you to easily transfer a set of equipped G.Fs, abilities and spell lists between characters. Convenient for those scenes in which you have to guide two different parties. Inactive party members gain zero EXP from battles fought by the main party. [Card] Displays the cards that you've acquired so far. Hit left or right on the d-pad to scroll through the 10 levels of cards. Refer to the Card Battle section below for more information concerning this mini-game. [Configuration] A set of customization controls are available here. (note: The last two options are for those playing with a Sony Dual Shock Analog Controller) Sound: Change between Stereo or Mono. Controller: Change the controller settings to Normal (Default) or Customize. Push the 'X' or 'Circle' button at the Customize option to bring up the controller configuration screen. Cursor: The Memorize option here lets you store the last position of the finger cursor even after the window is closed. ATB: Set the flow of time in battles. -- For skilled players. Time flows even when commands, spells and items are being selected. -- For beginners. Time stops when spells and items are being selected. Scan: The detailed analysis of an enemy will only appear the 1st time you cast 'Scan' (Japanese version: Libra) on an enemy under the default Initial settings. Camera Movement: The higher the percentage, the more frequently the camera angle changes in battle. Battle Speed: Adjust the speed of time flow during battles. Battle Message: Adjust the message speed in battles. Field Message: Adjust the message speed in the field screens. Analog Input: Change the sensitivity of the analog sticks. Vibration Function: Turn rumble feature ON/OFF. [Tutorial] Lets you learn more about ff 8's systems and world. The SeeD Tests are also accessed via this command. If my guide hasn't been too precise in explaining the various systems Final Fantasy VIII has to offer, this is where you should refer to. In fact, I highly encourage you look through the Tutorial at least once. [Save] Final Fantasy VIII takes up one block of space on a Memory Card. The Save command can only be used to record a position on the Overworld and on Save Points in field screens. [Order] Push left on the d-pad in the main menu screen, and a cursor will appear, allowing you to re-shuffle your main party's lineup in battle. There's no real reason for you to do this though. Btw, there're no more 'front' or 'back' rows in ff 8. And that's all for the Menu Tutorial. ======================================================================== IV. B A T T L E T U T O R I A L ======================================================================== [Battle Basics] At anytime on the Overworld (with the exception of paved roads and railway tracks) or in a dungeon field screen, you run the risk of encountering enemies. It's essential you master the Battle System in ff 8; I'll start by giving a diagram of the battle layout, and explaining some of the more basic features. Here's what you usually see at the bottom of a battle screen: -COMMAND------------------------- |Attack/Mug --> Limit Break | NAMES HP ACTIVE |Magic (or any other command) | OF VALUES TIME |Draw (or any other command) | PARTY BARS |Item (or any other command) | MEMBERS --------------------------------- The Active Time Battle System in ff 8 is based on the recognition that time does not stop for a party member to enter his or her commands; the enemy is likely to attack without conveniently waiting for you to make your decision. The Active Time Bars you see in the lower-right of the battle screen indicate the period of time left before a member has a chance to act. A yellow pyramid mark over a character's head signals that it is his or her turn to act. During battles, numbers will pop out of your characters and enemies. White numbers indicate damage, while green numbers indicate recovered HP (Health or Hit Points). The HP values represent a particular character's health; once this number reaches zero, that party member is considered to be 'disabled' (or KO'ed) and can no longer take part in battle. This condition can be remedied by a variety of spells and items. Tip: In ff 8, the enemies increase their levels in tandem with yours. This applies to both normal opponents and bosses. Thus, when I list down a boss's statistics later on in the Walkthrough section, it's only a rough estimate of what to expect. The first command lets you attack (duh) and when a party member takes a set amount of damage (having roughly 75% of their HPs depleted), they will have an alternate way of attacking. This is indicated by a tiny arrow by the side of the 'Attack' command. To access it, hit and hold right on the d-pad, and following that, their respective Limit Break will appear. Also, by switching to another character, the Limit Break icon is lost. However, if that character still retains his/her critical status, the icon can be recovered by tapping 'Circle' (U.S) or 'Triangle' (Japanese) repeatedly. Among the characters that join your party, Seifer's the only one who is capable of activating his limit break without reaching critical status. Generally, you have a chance of using his Fire Cross when his HP is depleted by 30 to 40 percent. New or improved Limit Breaks are learnt via magazines. These can be found in pet stores or on book shelves. Not all characters require such a method though; Squall's finishing blow to his Renzokuken is determined by the type of Gunblade he's carrying. The magnitude (and sometimes length) of Limit Breaks are also dependent on factors such as the character's current HP (i.e. Zell would have more time to input his button motions if his condition is critical, and lesser time if you simply cast an 'Aura' spell on a healthy Zell for him to use his 'Duel') and Luck parameter (i.e. Squall seems to perform a finishing blow more regularly with a higher Luck rating and when he's at critical status). The R1 button is used to activate double damage for Squall's Gunblade. The best time to do this is when Squall dashes across to the enemy, lifts his sword, and you hear the swish of his blade. Press R1 immediately and Squall should connect for 2x damage. Magic is a simple click-and-use procedure, and the amount of a particular magic you can cast is limited by the number appearing beside it. Press left or right on the d-pad to scroll if the character has additional spells. MP (Magic Points) values are non-existent in ff 8. The 'Draw' command is available to all junctioned characters. Clicking on it, then an enemy will produce a sub-window showing the enemy's magic list. Select the magic you want, and another sub-window appears. The 1st is 'Stock', whereby the member absorbs that particular spell from the enemy for later use. The absorbed spell, if any, will then be usable in the character's magic list. The 2nd option is 'Cast', which allows you to use the chosen spell on anyone. The magnitude of the spell, plus the amount you get when you try to stock a spell is determined by your character's 'Magic' parameter as well as 'Luck'. Both options may sometimes result in failure; you can try as many times as you wish, though. 'Guardian Force' is an ability that summons G.Fs under your command. Surprisingly enough, there is no limit to its usage; just note that whenever this command is used, the caster's HP will be converted to that of the summon monster, and any attacks on him or her during this period will be absorbed by the G.F. When this value falls to zero, the character loses the ability to summon the G.F. for that particular fight. And as any summoner would tell you, G.Fs don't appear immediately when they're called; the time it takes for them to come is shown by a blue bar, which replaces the summoner's active time bar. G.Fs regain lost HP via walking around or using G.F. items. Such items can be purchased from shops. You'll also need items to revive fallen G.Fs, or simply rest at a Hotel. Items are pretty basic. Select an item and decide whom to use it on. (note: Important!) In addition to the above battle commands, others are made available as you train up more Guardian Forces. I'll like to highlight 'Mug' here, which allows you to attack, then steal from the enemy. Enemies carry and drop (there IS a difference between these 2 terms) different items at different levels. So, say if I steal from a Wendigo, I might receive a Steel Pipe, but if I defeat it (without stealing from it previously!), it might drop a Steel Orb instead. Also note that once you've successfully stolen something from an enemy, don't expect it to drop anymore items when you do defeat it, except for cards. Another thing: what an enemy might drop can also be determined by G.F. Bahamut's 'Rare Item' party ability. So if an enemy isn't dropping what you're looking for, try equipping that ability if you have it. Likewise, if you've 'Rare Item' equipped but the enemy doesn't give up the item you want, try de-equipping that ability instead. If you still have trouble acquiring the items you want, I suggest using G.F. Quezacotl's 'Card' command ability on the enemy, followed by 'Card Mod.' menu ability to get the items. However, this tactic might not work on all enemies. Escaping is done by holding down R2 and L2. You cannot run away from boss encounters. The easiest method to escape is to start pressing down the buttons as soon as the battle begins, since you can often take advantage of the enemies' unpreparedness. Just note that you will be penalised for running away; refer to the SeeD Ranking section below for more details. In a normal encounter, your party members start off with their Active Time Bars partially filled. However, there exists 2 special battle situations in ff 8: First Strike -- Either the party or your enemies begin the fight with full time bars. Back Attack -- Similar to 1st Strike attacks in the sense that either the party or your enemies begin the fight with full time bars. In addition, the side caught by surprise will start with their backs turned. Both your party members and enemies take twice as much damage if attacked while their backs are turned. Your party's combined 'Luck' parameter seems to determine the frequency of such special battle situations. The battle ends when all of the members on either side are killed or petrified, or if the enemy or your party runs away. You receive EXP (Experience Points), AP (Ability Points) and Items from defeated opponents. For methods to obtain Gil, the form of currency in ff 8, refer to the SeeD Ranking section below. Incidentally, you need only 1,000 EXP to go up a level in ff 8. Unlike ff 7, characters not in your fighting party gain zero EXP... I'll advise you practise rotating your squad members to make sure nobody's too far ahead (or behind) in terms of levels. [Battle Tips] A majority of the enemies in ff 8 are weak against status ailments attacks such as Sleep, Stop or even Death. This becomes all the more apparent when you get to junction spells to Status Attack, so try experimenting on enemies with different maladies -- some of them can even work on bosses! A lot of people don't seem to realise they can switch between characters (provided their active time bars are full) using 'Circle' for the U.S version, and 'Triangle' for the Japanese version. This comes in handy when you want to use a specific party member either to heal or to attack. Using the target window in battle (hit L1) lets you accurately select which enemy to attack; it's also a great way to check the name of a particular monster. A hit in the back results in double damage; this applies to both your party members and enemies for physical attacks. In ff 8, you actually gain EXP when you flee from battle, depending on the amount of damage you did to your opponents. Any character that finishes off an enemy gets more EXP as well, so be sure to let Squall give up his easier kills to a weaker member. This situation also applies to G.Fs. Incidentally, if you think Squall is too far ahead in his levels, I suggest petrifying him for a few battles, since characters affected by petrifaction receive zero EXP and AP ^_^ Make sure to switch Squall's junctioned G.Fs (if any) over beforehand! They won't receive any EXP nor AP if Squall's petrified. Towards the end of the game, you'll come to rely heavily on Squall's Renzokuken to dish out the heavy damage. I've included a way to exploit this to your maximum advantage: 1. Junction Ultima x 100 to Strength, and learn Strength +60% character ability. This should raise Squall's offense to 255. Learn Auto Haste party ability from G.F. Cerberus. 2. Obtain Aura magic (drawable from Heaven/Hell Islands and Seifer at the end), or Aura Stones via G.F Siren's Tools Refinement menu ability (each Power Wrist gives you 10 Aura Stones; they can be bought from the Pet Store in Esthar). Also draw Meltdown (U.S) or Merton (Japanese) magic from high level Gaylas (white flying creatures with black stripes on the Trabia continent) and Bombs (in a forest near to Kashkabald Desert, or in the Fire Caverns). You might want to have a few Haste spells on hand too. 3. During confrontation, cast Haste on Squall (optional, especially if he has Auto Haste on already). Follow this up with Meltdown (Merton) on the enemy; this reduces its defense rating to zero. Finally, use Aura (Stones) on Squall. 4. Repeatedly tap Circle (U.S) or Triangle (Japanese) for Squall's Limit Break to appear. Each cut, coupled with the R1 Trigger, should do over 9,000 damage. If Squall finishes with 'Lion Heart' (equip his 'Lion Heart' gunblade first), you should be able to do damage amounting to something like 234,000 in one Renzokuken. [List of Elements] Final Fantasy's VIII battle system does somewhat rely on other external factors (apart from the Strength and Magic ratings of a character, anyway) to calculate damage. Some enemies carry weaknesses against a certain type of element; others may be protected from them instead. Here's a list detailing the 11 types of elements found in ff 8: NON-ELEMENTAL Non-elemental attacks ignore the magical defense values (and sometimes defense values) of an opponent; they'll be your most common form of offense in ff 8. Sources: All non-Elemental Attack junctioned weapon strikes, Flare, Meteor, Meltdown (Merton), Ultima spells, G.F Siren, G.F. Tonberry, G.F. Cactuar, G.F. Bahamut, G.F. Eden, Gatling Gun E. Skill, Ray-Bomb E. Skill, Shockwave Pulsar E. Skill, etc. GRAVITY Suprisingly, Gravity-typed attacks work well against a notable percentage of opponents. Just take note that it's still useless on mechanical monsters. Sources: Demi (Gravite) spell, G.F. Diablos, Micro Missile E. Skill, etc. HEAL Most players will use heal-typed spells simply to recover their party's HPs... unless they know undeads are weak against the healing elements as well. Sources: Cure spells, heal-typed items, Recover command ability, etc. FIRE Fire works best against ice, undeads, aquatic creatures, beasts and vegetation. Sources: Fire spells, G.F. Ifrit, G.F Phoenix, Fire Breath E. Skill, etc. ICE Use against fire-based creatures (i.e. Bombs). Sources: Blizzard spells, G.F. Shiva, etc. THUNDER Mechanical and aquatic beasts are susceptible to lightning. Sources: Thunder spells, G.F. Quezacotl, Electrocute E. Skill, etc. EARTH Earth-typed attacks are limited in their effectiveness. Never use them on flying creatures. Sources: Quake spell, G.F. Brothers, etc. POISON Human opponents are weak against Poison; useless against mechanical beasts. Sources: Bio spell, G.F. Doomtrain (Ghoulish), etc. WIND Flying creatures are at the mercy of wind-typed attacks. Sources: Aero spell, Tornado spell, G.F. Pandemona (Pandemonium), etc. WATER Only a handful of fire-based enemies have a weakness to Water. Sources: Water spell, G.F. Leviathan, Aqua Breath E. Skill, etc. HOLY Try using Holy-typed attacks on undeads. Sources: Holy spell, G.F. Alexander, etc. Enemies assaulted by an element they're weak against take twice as much damage. On the other hand, if the enemy is resistant to an element, it means that the damage they take from that element can either be halved, void or even absorbed instead as HP. [List of Status Conditions] Status changes can occur both in and out of battle, and can affect both your party members and enemies. A few disappear after battle or after a set period of time, but most carry over their effects to the next fight unless you remedy them. The various conditions include: DISABLED (KO'ed) Effect Character lies on the ground, unable to take any further part in battle Remedy Life-typed magic, Phoenix-typed items, Revive command ability, spending the night at a Hotel (note: disabled characters at the end of a fight gain zero EXP and AP) DOOM Effect Character dies after red timer above his or her head expires Remedy Elixir-typed items, Remedy Plus, Treatment (Chiryou) command ability CRITICAL Effect Character falls to his or her knees, HP value turns yellow and rate of Specials being made available increases Remedy Cure-typed magic and items, White Wind E. Skill POISON Effect Green bubbles appear over a character; he or she takes a small amount of damage for every turn in battle Remedy Esuna magic, Antidote, Remedy-typed items, Elixir-typed items, Treatment command ability PETRIFY Effect Character becomes cast in stone, unable to take any further part in battle Remedy Esuna magic, Soft (Gold Needle), Remedy-typed items, Elixir -typed items, Treatment command ability (note: petrified characters at the end of a fight gain zero EXP and AP) PETRIFYING Effect Character becomes cast in stone after white timer above his or her head expires Remedy Esuna magic, Soft (Gold Needle), Remedy-typed items, Elixir -typed items, Treatment command ability DARKNESS Effect A cloud of smoke covers the character's eyes; Hit parameter is halved Remedy Esuna magic, Eye Drops, Remedy-typed items, Elixir-typed items, Treatment command ability SILENCE Effect A "...." bubble appears over the character's head; Magic, Draw and G.F. command abilities are sealed off Remedy Esuna magic, Echo Screen, Remedy-typed items, Elixir-typed items, Treatment command ability BERSERK Effect Character turns fuming-red; Attack power is raised, but character automatically attacks for every turn Remedy Esuna magic, Remedy-typed items, Elixir-typed items, Treatment command ability ZOMBIE Effect Character takes on a greyish-green shade of colour; Attack power is raised, but character is now susceptible to Heal -typed spells and items; a single Phoenix Down instantly kills the affected character. Using Drain magic or an Absorb command ability on a zombified character results in damage to the caster instead Remedy Esuna magic, Holy Water, Remedy-typed items, Elixir-typed items, Treatment command ability SLEEP Effect A "Zzzz" sign appears over the character's head; unable to enter any command abilities Remedy Physical attacks, Esuna magic, Remedy-typed items, Elixir -typed items, Treatment command ability CONFUSE Effect Character spins around in circles; attacks both ally and enemy randomly Remedy Physical attacks, Esuna magic, Remedy-typed items, Elixir -typed items, Treatment command ability VITALITY ZERO Effect Character takes on a shade of purple and Vitality parameter drops to zero; caused only by Meltdown (Merton) spell Remedy Esuna magic, Remedy Plus, Elixir-typed items, Treatment command ability SLOW Effect Character's Active Time Bar turns blue and fills slower Remedy Dispell magic, Haste magic, Esuna magic, Elixir-typed items, Treatment command ability STOP Effect Character's Active Time Bar stops filling; unable to act Remedy Dispell magic, Haste magic, Esuna magic, Elixir-typed items, Treatment command ability HASTE Effect Character's Active Time Bar turns red and fills faster Remedy Dispell magic REGEN Effect Character gradually recovers HP during the course of the fight Remedy Dispell magic FLOAT Effect Character floats in mid-air; invulnerable to all Earth-typed attacks Remedy Dispell magic PROTECT Effect A blue shield parries any physical attack on the character, reducing damage taken by half Remedy Dispell magic SHELL Effect A purple shield parries any magical attack on the character, reducing damage taken by half Remedy Dispell magic REFLECT Effect A yellowish-green shield reflects most magical spells cast on the character back to the caster; useless for some of the more powerful spells such as Meteor, Ultima and G.Fs Remedy Dispell magic CURSE Effect Character falls to his or her knees and takes on a shade of black; unable to use Limit Breaks Remedy Esuna magic, Holy Water, Remedy-typed items, Elixir-typed items, Treatment command ability AURA Effect Character takes on a shade of gold; rate of Limit Breaks being made available increases Remedy Dispell magic DEFEND Effect Character assumes a defensive stance; invulnerable to all physical attacks and reduces all magical attacks by half Remedy Disappears after one active turn DOUBLE, TRIPLE Effect Character has the ability to cast 2 or 3 spells of the same type in a single turn Remedy Dispell magic INVINCIBLE Effect Character becomes translucent; all physical and magical attacks are useless on him or her Remedy None Well, that's all for the battle tutorial. ======================================================================== V. C A R D B A T T L E ======================================================================== [Triple Triad System] When walking around town, you can engage other NPCs (Non-Playable Characters) in card battles via the 'Square' button. Cards are obtained through victories, special events or enemies, and some are very difficult to find. Either way, here's the entire playing procedure: 1. Win a card, or turn an enemy into one via Quezacotl's 'Card' command ability. Look for a card player, and talk to him or her using 'Square'. 2. Select 5 cards from your deck (not applicable for Random rule). 3. The computer will randomly decide who gets to start first. 4. The game is played on a 3 by 3 tiled board, with the blue cards belonging to you; the pink ones, your opponent. ---------------- | | | | | | | | ---------------- PINK | | | | BLUE DECK | | | | DECK ---------------- | | | | | | | | ---------------- 5. You'll notice 4 sets of numbers on each card, the center row having 2 numbers side by side. The maximum value for each side is A (equals 10). 6. When 2 opposing cards are placed adjacent to each other, 'Card Battle' commences. 7. The computer will compare these 4 sets of values, and victory is allotted to the card with the higher value. Here's an example, assuming the pink card is the attacking card. --------- --------- | 8 | | 2 | |9 2| |3 1| | 7 | | 4 | --------- --------- (Blue) (Pink) The values represent the attack power of the card on each of the 4 sides. In the above diagram, the blue card (which has been placed on the left of the pink one) seems to have the upper hand, but the value on its right (2) is lower than the value on the left of the pink card (3). Thus, the winner here is the pink card (3>2), and the losing blue card is flipped to show a pink one. 8. Press 'Triangle' to view the Rules if you've forgotten what they were. 9. When all 9 tiles are filled, the player with the majority of the cards in their respective colour wins. [Rules Details] Rules vary from region to region, although you can abolish some of the more troublesome ones via winning a game in that territory or paying the Card Queen at Balamb City's train station 30,000 Gil. Special rules include: (Important: In all cases assume the blue card is the attacking card!) SAME: When a card is placed adjacent to 2 or more cards, and the values on the sides of that particular card facing the rest are equal, the attacking card wins. --------- --------- | 5 | | 8 | |1 3| |3 4| | 7 | | 9 | --------- --------- (Blue) (Pink) --------- | 7 | |6 A| | A | --------- (Pink) Look at the right and bottom values of the blue card, which are identical to the values of the pink cards directly facing them (3 & 3, 7 & 7). In this case both the pink cards are flipped. PLUS: When a card is placed adjacent to 2 or more cards, and the values on 2 or more of the sides in contact add up to the same figure, the attacking card wins. --------- --------- | 5 | | 2 | |1 4| |5 A| | 1 | | 4 | --------- --------- (Blue) (Pink) --------- | 8 | |9 3| | 7 | --------- (Pink) Take note of the right and bottom values of the blue one. When you add the values of the pink cards directly facing them, the numbers calculated are the same, i.e. 4+5=9 and 1+8=9. In this case both the pink cards are flipped. SAME WALL: The vertical and horizontal sides of the playing field are taken as having a value of 'A'. Same Wall is extremely rare, and occurs in conjunction with the Same and Plus rule. | --------- | | 7 | A| |1 6| | | 1 | | --------- | (Pink) | | --------- | | 1 | A| |A 3| | | 5 | | --------- | (Blue) | | --------- | | 5 | A| |7 4| | | 7 | | --------- | (Pink) Look at the left, upper and bottom values of the blue card. Under the 'Same Wall and 'Same' rule, the value of the playing field directly facing the blue card, bottom value of the pink card above the blue card and upper value of the pink card below the blue card are identical (A & A, 1 & 1, 5 & 5 respectively). Both pink cards are thus flipped. COMBO: When a card changes colour under the Same, Plus or Same Wall rules, its values now affect the cards with the opposing colour. Thus, one can actually set a card, flip the opponent's, and the flipped card will also act against those around it, flipping them as well within a single turn. You can set up multiple chains in this way. --------- --------- | 8 | | 2 | |9 3| |3 1| | 7 | | 4 | --------- --------- (Blue) (Pink) --------- --------- | 7 | | 2 | |1 4| |5 A| | A | | 4 | --------- --------- (Pink) (Pink) --------- | 8 | |9 3| | 7 | --------- (Pink) Under the Same rule, the blue card in the upper-left should flip both the pink cards to the right and bottom of it. Now look at the bottom value of the card to the right of the blue card. Having been flipped, the now blue card should act upon the pink card directly beneath it, flipping it in the process (4>2). The same also applies to the (now blue) card to the bottom of the initial attacking blue card, thus the pink card in the lower-left is flipped (A>8). Chains are set up in this way, and can often turn near-defeats into victories in Card Battles. ELEMENTAL: Some cards such as Ifrit's have an elemental to them (in this case Fire). When placed on a tile with the 'Fire' element symbol on it, the values of the card increase by 1 on all 4 sides. Other than that, if the element symbol on the tile does not correspond to the card's elemental, the values of the card on all 4 sides will decrease by 1 instead. However, the Same, Plus and Same Wall rules ignore the added or decreased (if any) values of a card; keep that in mind the next time you want to activate such rules. Open: All cards can be seen. Random: All cards are randomly picked. Sudden Death: The game goes on in the event of a Draw. Players retain only the cards in their respective colour from the end of the previous Card Battle. Trade Rules: These range from being able to pick and keep zero to all cards from the loser. Cards are useful via Quezacotl's 'Card Mod.' menu ability; many of them grant the items required to upgrade your weapons, characters or G.Fs. There's a total of 110 different cards to collect, btw. If you've completed your collection of cards, a star will appear next to the Card command in the menu screen. And even if you destroy one of your cards using 'Card Mod.', the star will still remain there. [Card Tips] Try to prevent some of the more cumbersome rules from spreading, i.e 'Random' or 'Sudden Death'. Rules that you want to spread are 'Open' (Balamb region has it), or even 'Same' if you're an experienced player. To prevent rules from spreading, just keep saying 'No' when an NPC suggests combining rules. He or she will eventually play you with the particular region's rules alone. Initially, you won't have much good cards to begin with, so Card Battle on Disc One should be kept to a minimum. However, by the end of Disc One, you should have amassed 4 rare cards: Ifrit, Sacred, Minotaur and Diablos. Disc Two should be when you start trashing people in Card Battle with the above cards. As always, try to win the rare cards in regions with friendlier rules first, then go for the difficult to obtain cards such as Edea, which is played under the Random rule. You can usually tell a good card player apart from the rest when he or she takes their time deciding which card to play. Inexperienced players (i.e. most townspeople) simply rashly place their cards without much thought. You can over-power such players using a good deck of cards, but defeating a seasoned card player requires some strategy. When playing with the 'Same', 'Plus' or 'Same Wall' rules, always check to see if your opponent has the chance to use such rules on you. You can usually tell when an experienced player places a card in a seemingly strange position, when he/she could have used that card to flip over one of yours. However, playing these rules to your advantage requires a lot on planning ahead, or just plain luck. There's really no easy way about it; your best bet is experience. ======================================================================== VI. S e e D R A N K I N G ======================================================================== In ff 8, your party receives payment from SeeD on a timely basis. This sum is determined by your SeeD ranking, which is assigned to you right after the events at Dollet in Disc One. Also, the SeeD Tests become available in the Tutorial on the menu screen. The actual number of papers Squall can sit for depends on his level, i.e. a lv. 15 Squall has access to only 15 out of the 30 tests. Below are the answers: (Yes=Y / No=N) Test 1 : Y N Y Y Y N N Y N N Rank 1 : 500 Gil Test 2 : Y N Y Y Y N Y Y N N Rank 2 : 1,000 Gil Test 3 : N N Y N Y Y Y N Y N Rank 3 : 1,500 Gil Test 4 : N Y Y Y N N Y Y N N Rank 4 : 2,000 Gil Test 5 : N N N Y Y N N Y Y Y Rank 5 : 3,000 Gil Test 6 : Y N Y Y N N Y Y N Y Rank 6 : 4,000 Gil Test 7 : Y Y Y Y Y Y N Y Y N Rank 7 : 5,000 Gil Test 8 : N Y N N Y Y N N Y N Rank 8 : 6,000 Gil Test 9 : N Y N N N N N N Y Y Rank 9 : 7,000 Gil Test 10: Y N N N N N N N Y N Rank 10: 8,000 Gil Test 11: Y Y N Y Y N Y N N Y Rank 11: 9,000 Gil Test 12: N Y N N Y N Y N Y N Rank 12: 10,000 Gil Test 13: Y N N N Y N N N N N Rank 13: 11,000 Gil Test 14: Y Y Y Y N Y Y N Y N Rank 14: 12,000 Gil Test 15: Y Y N N N N N Y N Y Rank 15: 12,500 Gil Test 16: Y N N Y N Y N N Y N Rank 16: 13,000 Gil Test 17: Y N N N Y N N Y N N Rank 17: 13,500 Gil Test 18: Y N N N Y N N N N N Rank 18: 14,000 Gil Test 19: Y N N Y N N N N N Y Rank 19: 14,500 Gil Test 20: Y Y N Y N Y Y Y N N Rank 20: 15,000 Gil Test 21: Y Y Y Y N N Y Y Y N Rank 21: 15,500 Gil Test 22: N N N Y N N N Y Y N Rank 22: 16,000 Gil Test 23: Y N N N N Y Y Y Y Y Rank 23: 16,500 Gil Test 24: Y Y N N Y Y N N N Y Rank 24: 17,000 Gil Test 25: Y N Y Y Y N N Y N N Rank 25: 17,500 Gil Test 26: Y Y N Y N Y N Y N N Rank 26: 18,000 Gil Test 27: N Y N N N N Y N Y N Rank 27: 18,500 Gil Test 28: Y N N Y Y Y N Y N N Rank 28: 19,000 Gil Test 29: N N N Y Y N N N Y N Rank 29: 19,500 Gil Test 30: N Y N N N N Y N N N Rank 30: 20,000 Gil Rank A : 30,000 Gil If Squall scores a perfect 100 marks in a test paper, his SeeD ranking is raised by one. The highest rank Squall can attain is A (otherwise known as rank 31), which pays 30,000 Gil. Each payment occurs after Squall takes about 24,300 steps or so. Increasing your rank can also involve other methods, such as success at certain game events, or living dangerously in battle. By that I mean combating enemies with your characters at critical status (you could always blow your opponents away with Limit Breaks). To make your rank stay constant, just fight battles normally, using physical, magical or G.F. attacks. Decreasing your rank is done by escaping from battles too often and not engaging enemies in combat frequently enough. Meaning, you shouldn't rely on vehicles or chocobos too often to get around. ======================================================================== VII. F U L L W A L K T H R O U G H ======================================================================== [Gameplay Tips] Before you delve into the walkthrough below, why not stop to pick up a few tips on ff 8? I'm sure the hints below will prove helpful, especially if this is your first time through the game. {Leveling Up} Seeing how the leveling up system has been all but replaced by the Junction System (which is why you need only 1,000 EXP to gain a level in ff 8), there's really no need for you to specifically go level up your characters. Just fight whatever battles that may come your way, making sure you stop to draw a few spells for junctioning later. This brings me to my next point, which is... {Stocking Spells} You don't really need to have every single spell in your magic list. Try sticking to the more common (and useful) spells such as Cure, and ignore the lame ones such as Drain. Each character can only carry 32 out of the 50 spells ff 8 has to offer. Also, whenever possible, I suggest making use of menu abilities to refine items to spells instead; it's much more convenient that way. Another question would be: should all members in your party carry a full set of spells? Well, you can pretty much get through the game with just 3 full lists of spells, but I prefer to keep 4 sets. It's really up to you to decide. I advise against 6, though. It's way too tedious to maintain and upgrade them. {Enemies} Enemies in ff 8 gain levels in tandem with your party. In the process, they also receive new magic lists (for drawing from), hold and drop different items. In addition, they may sometimes gain new attacks. {An Easier Time} FF VIII can only get difficult if you do not attempt to master the Junction System. If you can't seem to defeat a particular boss, or rely too heavily on G.Fs (especially at the game's later stages), then it's time to learn a few Junction abilities, and draw powerful spells. The Junction System helps a LOT more towards building a powerful party member compared to plain old leveling up. {Spending your Gil} Since both the armour and accessories systems have been removed, the only stuff you'll spend money on are items and weapon remodeling. Do feel free to blow your cash on items. Still, I'll like to caution that in the early stages of the game, the party gets around on a train a lot, so make sure you always have enough money left to afford a 3,000 Gil ticket. [How to use this guide] You will be presented with choices at certain points in the game; I've taken the liberty of indicating the best option with an asterisk (*). Also, the 'Side Events' portions that occasionally pop up really are optional, meaning you don't have to do them to advance the storyline; they're usually an opportunity for you to obtain a special artefact or two, plus to give guidelines on weapon upgrading. Happy travels! ++++++++++ 1. S e e D ++++++++++ =================== Sections appearing: =================== 1a. Balamb Garden 1b. Balamb Region 1c. Fire Cavern 1d. Dollet Mission Briefing 1e. Naval Ship 1f. Dollet 1g. Exploring Balamb City 1h. Inauguration Ceremony 1i. Training Center 1j. Timber Mission Briefing 1k. Laguna Dream Sequence Part One: Eastern Forest/Deling City 1l. Timber Tracks: Hijack Operation 1m. Timber 1n. Dollet/Timber Revisited (optional) 1o. Timber Region (optional) 1p. Laguna Dream Sequence Part Two: Centra Excavation Site ###################################################################### 1a. [Balamb Garden] Enemies: Grat, T-Rexaur (Training Center) Draw Points: Cure, Esuna, Blizzard G.Fs: Quezacotl, Shiva (2F Study Panel) Magazines: Occult Fans Vol. I (Library) ###################################################################### Final Fantasy VIII opens with a nice FMV of Squall and Seifer squaring off against each other in a training match. However, Squall is scarred in this battle, having taken a direct hit in his face. Squall awakens from his coma in the infirmary, where the medic there, Dr. Kadowaki, asks Squall if he feels all right: - (Ok, I guess.) * - (My forehead hurts.) Give Squall a name; I'll stick with the default name throughout this walkthrough for convenience's sake. Dr. Kadowaki then leaves to inform Quistis of Squall's recovery. After a FMV showing her arrival, both student and mentor will walk to the classroom, with the latter commenting that the entrance examination for SeeD is today. After class is over, Quistis reminds Squall that he has yet to visit the Fire Cavern. Before going off, you might want to check out the Study Panel at Squall's seat. There you'll find the following options: 1. Tutorial (New!) 2. The Basics 3. About Garden 4. A message from Garden 5. Garden Square 6. The School Festival Committee (not available yet) You'd best be advised to read through all of them. In addition, Squall will receive 2 G.Fs, Shiva and Quezacotl, upon selecting the Tutorial. G.F. Quezacotl offers 2 unique abilities: the 'Card' command ability and 'Card Mod.' menu ability. Make sure you learn them. A few notes about the 'Card' command: it has a much higher chance of working on a weakened enemy, and sometimes carding a normal enemy earns you a more powerful boss card instead. Quezacotl also has 'Mid. Magic Refinement' menu ability, which enables you to gain access to the middle range spells such as Cura and Blizzara (i.e. refine 5 Cure spells to obtain a single Cura) relatively early on in the game. If you can afford to live with a weak G.F Quezacotl for a while, I suggest you learn 'Boost' 1st, followed by 'Card', and then 'Card Mod.' These abilities will come in VERY handy in the game if you're looking to collect everything of value. Shiva has the unique 'Doom' command ability, which takes 60 AP to learn. Seeing how 'Death' works on so many common enemies in ff 8, it might just come in handy sometimes. Once done, leave the classroom. Along the way, Squall'll bump into Selphie, the newly transferred student from Trabia Garden: - Are you okay? * - ...... Squall confirms that she just missed her class, upon which Selphie asks Squall for a little tour around Balamb Garden: - Sure. * - Don't have the time. Head on over to the elevator, but before you do that, talk to the guy hanging around the lift; he'll grant Squall his first set of cards, and tell him to use 'Square' to initiate 'Card Battle'. Bring Selphie to the Garden Directory, which is the huge board right to the south of the 1st floor. Here's a rough lay-out of Balamb Garden's 1st floor: Students' Dormitory Cafeteria | Parking Lots \ | / /---------------------------\ Quad | | Training Center \--| |--/ | Elevators | /--| | |--\ Infirmary | | | Library \-------------+-------------/ | | Front Gates Feel free to explore the place: you can rest and save at the Dorms, meet Seifer and company (Raijin, Fujin) at the Cafeteria, and watch Zell miss the hot dogs ^_^ Also, try chatting with the Cafeteria Lady for a bit of info about her son. Dr. Kadowaki will play cards with you, and the Library offers an 'Esuna' draw point, plus the 1st volume of Occult Fans. Search the 2nd bookshelf from left in the background (don't change the camera view); sometimes a student may be blocking the way, so try re-entering the Library. Avoid the Training Center for now. To the Front Gates once you're done. Quistis joins you here; she starts off at lv. 8 with zero spells in her magic list; expect the latter to be a constant feature in all new allies. ####################################################################### 1b. [Balamb Region] (note: Junction G.Fs, and NEVER escape from battles for now) Enemies: Bite Bugs Glacial Eye (Fields/Mountains) Caterchipillar, T-Rexaur (Forests) Fastitcalon-F (Beaches) ####################################################################### Quistis will bring Squall to the Fire Cavern, which is east of Garden behind the forest. Press 'Triangle' to skip through her tutorials if you so wish (for the U.S version). I recommend you view them, though. Make sure you have a decent stock of 'Blizzard' spells before you enter; these can be drawn from the Glacial Eyes (blue flying jellyfish -like creatures) near the northern cliffs on the Overworld or the Fastitocalons-F (orange fishes) on the shores of Balamb. Btw, a single Fastitocalon-F gives you 3 A.P; they're excellent enemies to battle if you want to build up your G.Fs' abilities at this point in the game. Fastitocalons appear on most beaches in the Overworld. Tip: Actually, whenever you reach a new region, I suggest you check out the enemies there. They may have some nifty spells for junctioning, upon which you should spend some time drawing. You'll be surprised at how much some of the more powerful spells can boost your stats. ####################################################################### 1c. [Fire Cavern] (note: Keep Squall's level within 9 for this dungeon) Enemies: Bomb, Red Bat, Buel Draw Points: Fire G.Fs: Ifrit Rare Cards: Ifrit ####################################################################### The Garden Faculty awaiting at the cave entrance questions Squall if he's prepared: - Yes... - Still need to prepare. I'll leave this up to you. Squall is asked how long he would take to defeat the boss within and come back out (10, 20, 30 or 40 minutes). Take 30 minutes if you're playing the Japanese version, and 10 minutes for the U.S version. The Fire Cavern isn't particularly hard, but since random enemy encounters count towards the timer, you'd better finish them quickly, and keep heading straight into the inner regions of the cave (you can always re-visit the place to earn EXP, draw spells and gain Cards later, without the darned timer). There'll only be 2 times when the route splits; take the 1st one right for a 'Fire' Draw Point, and right again the 2nd time. You'll meet Ifrit at the end. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS G.F: Ifrit HP: 1,068 Weak: Ice Strong vs.: Fire Draw List: Fire(Fira), Cure, Scan AP: 20 Being a fire-based creature, you'll naturally want to avoid using any fire spells on him. Simply cast Shiva and Blizzard spells repeatedly to make short work of him. He has a decent attack rating too, so don't forget to heal your characters when needed. You wouldn't know now, but you're actually being accessed by the Garden throughout the first few events in ff 8... the Fire Cavern is one such place where Squall is tested on his Judgment. To score well for this scenario, you must finish the battle with Ifrit with as little time as possible left on the clock. Whittle down Ifrit's HP to around 100, then stall until the timer hits 15 to 20 seconds. Quickly use a barrage of Blizzard spells to bring the battle to an end. You'll see how well you scored for this event later on in the game. (note: A ( ) around a spell denotes that it's only available for higher level opponents. In this case, you can only draw Fira from a level 20 or higher Ifrit. Btw, if you're playing the Japanese version, 'Libra' has been translated as 'Scan' in the U.S version) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You'll receive Ifrit as a G.F, and have to make your way back out again. In the Japanese version, your 30 minutes include both getting in and out; the U.S version only requires you defeat Ifrit within 10 minutes. Ifrit offers abilities which boost your HP and Strength. They're very useful early in the game, and will prove invaluable against strong foes. Side events: Defeating Bombs sometimes nets you Bomb Fragments or Cards. Get either one of these; you'll want one later on for weapon upgrading. Bombs are extremely vulnerable to Blizzard spells. Once you're done, return to Balamb Garden. On a side note, you cannot encounter enemies on the paved roads in ff 8; keep that in mind. ####################################################################### 1d. [Balamb Garden -- Dollet Mission Briefing] Area Info: Unchanged ####################################################################### Squall is invited to try for a place in SeeD upon his return. You can wander around Garden if you wish, and whenever you feel you're ready, head back to Squall's room to change into his school uniform. Make your way back to the Lobby with the Garden directory board. There, Squall'll be assigned to his party, comprising of Seifer and Zell. Follow them and head for the Parking Lots. ###################################################################### [Balamb City] (note: You cannot encounter enemies in a car) Area Info: Unavailable (rather, not recommended you explore...) ###################################################################### Go for a spin or 2 in the car before moving on to Balamb City in the south-west (and hear Seifer's unflattering remarks about Zell). There isn't much you can do right now, so go on and board the ship. Don't try to go anywhere else; your instructors won't like it! ####################################################################### 1e. [Naval Ship] ####################################################################### Xu briefs the group on their mission objective, saying they are to liberate the city of Dollet that's under siege by Galbadia. Squad B (that's you) is to secure the area right up to the central square. Seifer then orders Squall to check the situation outside: - ... Okay. * - No. ###################################################################### 1f. [Dollet] (note: Don't converse with Squad A or C members except for Selphie, follow orders, and finish off all enemies quickly. You're being assessed by your instructors in this field exam, so conduct yourselves properly!) Enemies: Galbadian Soldier Anacondaur, Geezard, Elite Soldier (Mountain Range) Draw Points: Blind G.Fs: Siren (Elvoret) Magazines: Weapons Monthly March (Elvoret) ####################################################################### After the ships crash onto the shore, the loading doors open and Seifer leads Squall's party out. Quistis reminds you to equip your G.Fs before proceeding; divide your G.Fs among the 3 before following Seifer. Both Seifer and Zell join you here; they start off at lv. 9 and 8 respectively. Junction your party, transferring magic from Quistis if you have to. Ignore conversing with any of your colleagues, and follow Seifer. Seifer then points out 2 oncoming guards and the party encounters their 1st battle. Have the members attack normally (you may wish to stock up on 'Cure' spells at this point) and make full use of the Gunblade's 'R1 Trigger' feature. Note that Seifer's Hyperion also has this feature, only that his timing is a bit faster. As the party goes deeper into the town, another pair of Galbadian troops jump down to ambush the party. At the central square, Seifer orders the party to eliminate any remaining guards; proceed to the upper-right alley and do so. Following that, the characters wait it out as the rest of their troops hold off the remaining Galbadians. Finally, Seifer loses his patience (no thanks to the dog) and decides to check things out ahead. Zell questions this act as he thinks it's out of the mission parameter, but is dismissed by Seifer and Squall. The latter especially, seems quite eager to prove himself. Follow Seifer. After the party crosses the bridge, they chance upon the injured Dollet troops. Seifer spots another injured soldier, who is promptly dragged away by a serpent monster before Squall can reach him. A battle occurs. Seifer remarks that things are starting to get fun now... btw, the Anacondaur (Hedge Viper) is weak against Ice, so cast Shiva on it. Follow the path to the comms tower, defeating enemies along the way. Seifer will run off on his own (probably too eager already) and Selphie arrives to convey a message, conveniently replacing Seifer in the process. Jump off the cliff: - That's the plan. - No way... * Take the longer path to your right to meet up with Selphie, who complains about Squall not taking the shortcut. Zell remarks that nobody would normally leap off cliffs: - Yeah, I guess so. - I don't know about that... I'll leave this up to you to choose. Selphie joins you here; she starts off at lv. 8. Proceed to the communication tower once you've junctioned her properly. Side event: Geezards (Haurizaados) here (strange greyish creatures with a pink under-belly) give you Screws. These are useful in upgrading your weapons. Once inside, run around a bit to encounter enemy troops, and make use of this opportunity to heal your characters as well as to stock up on curative items and spells. Take note of the 'Blind' Draw Point to the left. Once you're ready, step onto the elevator and take it to the top (1st option). Tip: Be sure to have saved first, and ensure one of your party members has the 'Draw' command; you'll need to draw a G.F in an upcoming battle. The scene switches to Wedge (the blue guy) and Biggs (the guy in red). Biggs is trying to repair the satellite when Wedge comments about a monster in the vicinity. The former pays no attention, much to the chagrin of Wedge, who decides to look around first. Before long, Squall arrives, and in the commotion, Biggs starts the satellite up. He is elated, but not after the party engages him in battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SUB-BOSSES: Biggs HP: 610 Weak: Poison Draw List: Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, Esuna Wedge HP: 608 Weak: Poison Draw List: Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, Cure Total AP: 8 Have the party use G.Fs if you wish, but it'll be better to keep drawing magic out of these 2 guys first, especially Esuna. After defeating them, Elvoret will make his appearance; save your items and spells for him. BOSS: Elvoret HP: 2,872 Weak: Wind Strong vs.: Poison Draw List: Thunder(Thundara), Cure(Cura), Double, Siren AP: 10 Unleash everything (well, maybe not EVERYTHING; save a few Thunder spells and items) you've got on this creature. If your G.Fs are at a decent level, he should go down easily. Just make sure to pop in the occasional heal spells, and use any limit breaks when they're made available. He also has Siren, a G.F. among his list of magics, so be sure to draw it from him. Watch out for his Storm Breath too, which takes off 100 plus damage from everyone. You'll receive the March issue of Weapons Monthly from him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Siren, although not your best G.F. in terms of attacking power, has a wide array of menu abilities waiting to be learnt. She also has the Treatment (Chiryou) command ability, which cures ANY status ailment. Her 'Move-Find' party ability enables you to see hidden save and draw points; it's definitely a must-have. Selphie relays new information to Squad B: they are to assemble at the shore at 1900 hours. Seifer notes the 30 minute deadline given before he leaves. When you regain control, quickly board the lift and descend. The scene then cuts to Biggs, who activates a last ditch defense mechanism before gloating and falling over. Save before you leave the comms. tower; 30 minutes is more than enough time to make your escape. Outside, the X-ATM092 makes its untimely appearance, and the party has to fend it off. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SUB-BOSS: X-ATM092 HP: 5,492 Weak: Thunder Strong vs.: Poison Draw List: Fire, Blizzard, Cure, Protect AP: 50 (or none) Hit it with your Thunder spells, then attack normally. If you pull it off fast enough, the spider should collapse before getting a chance to use its 'Ray-Bomb'. Escape using R2 and L2. And while using Quezacotl may seem like a good idea, it eats up the timer, so don't summon it. You'll just have to do about 1,100 points of damage to make it go down. You can defeat it, but only in the 2nd time you face it. The X-ATM092 is invincible the 1st time you encounter it outside the comms. tower. The best place to take it down is on the bridge. You'll need to have Squall and Zell at critical status (easier usage of limit breaks) and Selphie having maximum affiliation with Quezacotl. Keep hitting the X-ATM092 with specials and Quezacotl (use a Turbo controller coupled with the 'Boost' G.F. Ability). After it collapses about 5 to 6 times, it should blow up. The X-ATM092 gives up random items upon its demise, but they're usually excellent ones. It's not recommended you take it down though, especially if this is your first time through the game. Assuming if you did cause the X-ATM092 to explode on the bridge, then you can make a clear run to the ship at the beach. You don't have to save the dog (detailed below), btw. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Retrace your steps through the city, and during this period, you have to avoid the X-ATM092 another 3 times. The 1st is when you cross the cliff where you met Selphie; keep the d-pad pressed all the way to the left. On the next screen, WALK slowly by coupling 'Triangle' (U.S) or 'X' (Japanese) with the d-pad or you'll have to do battle again. Don't worry, the X-ATM092 won't be able to get to you if you do this scene right. Upon reaching the bridge, run to the 4th lamp post; the X-ATM092 should leap over you at this point. Stall for a while (about 2 to 3 seconds), then move to the lamp post to your left. This should cause the Black Widow to jump over you again. Turn back and head right all the way from here. At the next screen, dash towards the dog and tap 'X' (U.S) or 'Circle' (Japanese) repeatedly to make it run away. In the event that you have to fight again, use the same strategy, and try to keep your HPs above 110 as the Ray-Bomb tends to hit for around 100 plus. After the last alleyway, the game switches to a CG movie, showing Squall's breathtaking escape from the X-ATM092. Strangely enough, if you choose, you can enter the cafe Squad C came out from; the X-ATM092 should miss you completely, and you're free to run at your own pace and save on the way. The downside? You'll miss the cool FMV and lower your SeeD ranking. ######################################################################## 1g. [Exploring Balamb City] Draw Points: Thunder, Cure Magazines: Timber Maniacs (Balamb Hotel OR Train Station) Blue Magic: Ultra Waves ######################################################################## You're free to explore Balamb City now and take in the sights of this scenic port town. Gain a few levels, then proceed back to Balamb Garden. Side events: Caterchipillars (caterpillars in Balamb's forests) give you Spider Webs. It's an essential item in weapon upgrading; Spider Webs also net you Quistis' Blue Magic, Ultra Waves. Keep one of these in your inventory after you've used one on Quistis. You'll also come across you first edition of 'Timber Maniacs' at the Balamb Hotel. These detail the adventures of Laguna Loire, a man you'll certainly be hearing more about in times to come. You can view all the issues of Timber Maniacs you've collected by accessing the homepage of the 'School Festival Committee' via Squall's study panel on the 2nd floor classroom of Balamb Garden. However, this option won't appear until the later parts of Disc Two. If you can't seem to find the magazine at the Hotel, then try looking for it at the train station, right behind the red and white sign-post there. It seems to alternate locations. There's also a copy of Timber Maniacs at Zell's house, but it's a fake. ####################################################################### 1h. [Inauguration Ceremony at Balamb Garden] Area Info: Unchanged ####################################################################### Cid will ask how the battle went: - Felt good. * - Scared to death. - ... Whatever. Head on over to the right, where Seifer is reprimanded for ignoring orders. The intercom relays a message, saying that all the participants are to gather at the 2nd floor. Talk to everyone there, and when Squall tries to leave, the results are announced. Tip: I've been getting mail from people saying nothing happens at the 2nd Floor; just keep in mind this is a timed event, and that the results will only be announced after a certain amount of time has elapsed. So if you wanna kill time at the 2nd Floor, trying walking instead of running, and when you've talked to everyone here, take a leisurely stroll to the end of the corridor (it's a dead end), then stroll back... by the time you do this, the Garden Faculty should've appeared. Squall, Zell, Selphie and another person (Nida) are proclaimed official members of SeeD. Be sure to talk to Cid again before you leave; he'll grant you your 'Battle Report', which shows the number of steps taken, fights you fought, and times you escaped). This now appears in your 'Tutorial' sub-menu, under 'Information'. SeeD Ranking System: {U.S version} Conduct: Reach the shore at Dollet with 25:00 left on the clock to score 100. Judgment: Defeat Ifrit in the Fire Cavern with at least 0:07 left on the clock to score 100. Attack: Defeat 75 enemies in total. This number does not take into account enemies downed by G.Fs. Spirit: Never escape (except for the FIRST Black Widow fight) from battles to score 100. Attitude: Don't converse with anyone in Balamb City before the Dollet mission, ignore all Squad A and C members while in Dollet, leave the defeated Biggs alone, follow all of Seifer's orders, do not take the short-cut at the cliff, save the dog from the X-ATM092 and refrain from hiding in the cafe. {Japanese version} Conduct: Fight the X-ATM092 once, and reach the shore within 5 minutes. Do not enter the cafe Squad C came out of. Judgment: Complete the Fire Cavern using 30 minutes with Squall at level 7 to 9 to score 100. Attack: Emerge victorious in combat 60 times. Spirit: Never escape (except for the FIRST Black Widow fight) from battles. Attitude: Don't converse with Squad A or C, follow all orders, no short-cut at the cliff, reach the communication tower within 18 minutes, and save the dog at the central square from the X-ATM092. Defeating the X-ATM092 on the bridge nets you a perfect score of lv. 10. In addition, a 'Bonus' segment will be added to the ranking criteria. You should get a decent score of rank 8 if you followed my guide. Rank 10 is attained by defeating the X-ATM092. The SeeD Tests should also be made available to you now in the menu screen; Squall has to be at least lv. 30 to open up all 30 papers. Attaining full marks in a test increases your SeeD ranking by 1. You can refer to the SeeD Ranking section in the earlier parts of this document for the test answers. Be sure to sit for Tests occasionally throughout the entire game. Squall'll be paid his salary as he proceeds in his quest. The sum you get is determined by your SeeD Rank. Change into your slick military garb after the inauguration ceremony, and prepare yourself for the inauguration party. At the dinner and dance party that night, Squall will meet Rinoa for the 1st time. But not before Selphie asks Squall to join the School Festival Committee: - Yeah, I guess so. * - ...... Selphie won't pose this question if you've agreed to join the Committee when you spoke to her at the Quad during the start of the game; this would be before the Fire Cavern section. After the dance scene, Quistis asks of Squall to meet her at the training center; Squall wonders what she's up to. Change into your normal attire, and save your game. Head for the Training Center. ######################################################################## 1i. [Balamb Garden: Training Center] Enemies: Grat, T-Rexaur Draw Point: Blizzard ######################################################################## The Training Center is a relatively short dungeon, but contains some of the more powerful enemies you've met so far. While the mutated plants are easy enough to dispose of, you'd better run when a T-Rexaur appears. Defeating it nets you 'Dino Bones' (Quake magic is refinable from it), but such items are useless at this point in the game. Btw, which route you take at the start doesn't matter. Anyway, save when you reach a Save Point, then head on towards the nearby door. Side events: The T-Rexaur is defeatable, but you'll need the 'Blind' spell you picked up at a Draw Point in Dollet. Cast it on the dinosaur, followed by Blizzard spells or Shiva. Dino Bones are required for weapon upgrading much, much later. The plant-like Grats here offer a plethora of status ailments spells, which are useful for junctioning spells to status defense or attack. Once done, save, then retrace your steps to the exit. The two will chance upon a mysterious girl being attacked by a flying creature. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Granaldo HP: 1,538 Weak: Wind Draw List: Sleep, Shell, Blind AP: 5 BOSSES: Raldo x3 HP: 223 Draw List: Fire, Thunder, Protect Total AP: 3 This critter is accompanied by 3 flunkies, so just use a G.F. to take them out first right at the start of the fight. After that, draw 'Shell' magic from Granaldo before offing it at your own leisure. It's pathetically weak once you get rid of its flunkies. Try putting the Granaldo to sleep with its 'Sleep' spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ######################################################################## 1j. [Balamb Garden -- Timber Mission Briefing] G.Fs: Diablos (Magical Lamp) Magazine: Weapons Monthly April (Squall's desk) Rare Card: Diablos ######################################################################## Go back to the dormitory, where Zell informs Squall that he's been given a private room. Rest up, and when Selphie tells Squall to meet at the Main Entrance in the morning, pick up the April issue of Weapons Monthly from Squall's desk in his room. Cid and a Garden Faculty will brief you on your 1st SeeD mission, saying an organization has sought the assistance of SeeD. Squall and co. are to leave immediately for Timber where they should meet up with the organization. Cid gives Squall a 'Magical Lamp' as well (talk to him again for this). You're supposed to head on over to Balamb City, but since you've got the Lamp already, I suggest you save 1st, and making sure everyone in your party has a decent Magic rating, use the 'Magical Lamp' in the menu screen to collect another G.F. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ENEMY G.F: Diablos HP: Variable Weak: Wind Draw List: Cure, Demi AP: 20 If you aren't careful, he'll mess up your party pretty bad, so be sure to have stock-piled curative items and spells. Once the battle begins, have everyone draw and stock Demi from Diablos (note that you'll need a decent Magic parameter for your party members in order to do so). 4 or 5 stocked Demi spells per person should be adequate. Now draw and cast Demi on Diablos, it should hit him pretty hard initially. Keep at this until you can do only 1 or 2 digit damage to Diablos with a Demi spell, then finish him off with your most powerful G.F or a Limit Break. Diablos can either attack you with a lunge or a single Demi spell; heal these with Cure spells. However, if he casts Gravija, don't bother about using any Cure spells; rather, have either Squall or Zell pop in a quick limit break, then cast your stocked Demi spells on Diablos. He'll actually retaliate by healing your party with Curaga. Btw, he's easier to defeat at lower levels. I managed to down him when Squall was at level 11. (note: 'Gravite' has been translated as 'Demi' in the U.S version) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ When you've received Diablos as a G.F, I suggest learning these 3 abilities first: Mug, Encounter Half and Encounter None. They will come in handy as the game progresses. Especially Mug, although that character ability will take quite a while to learn (200 A.Ps). And while Diablos seems awfully weak at this point, note that his attack is Gravity-based. At lower levels, he's only capable of lopping off about one tenth of an enemy's total (not remaining) HP. Side Event: Try paying a visit to the Library with Zell for a random event involving a secret admirer. At first only her girl-friends will drop hints, but returning here often (whenever possible) lets you view the full set of sequences. The 1st scene you should view here will be Zell enquiring about a book. The reward for this side quest isn't all that great though, so you can pretty much choose to ignore this. ######################################################################## [Balamb City: Train Station] Magazines: Pet Pals Vol. 1 (Train) ######################################################################## Tip: If you're in need of cash, run around for a while until Squall receives his SeeD payment. After buying a ticket for 3,000 Gil at the train station, board the train. Bypass the ticket machine, then follow Zell into the room. He'll find Vol. One of 'Pet Pals', and ask Squall if he knows about Timber's current situation: - I don't care. - Not too much. * Zell informs Squall a little more on Timber, a small country invaded and captured by Galbadia 18 years ago. ######################################################################## 1k. [Laguna Dream Sequence Part One: Eastern Forest & Deling] Enemies: Funguar, Geezard Draw Points: Cure, Water ######################################################################## These 3 (Ward, Kiros and Laguna) inherit the status of whoever fainted, so bear this in mind. Well, the run through the jungle is fairly straight-forward. Use the fallen tree to walk over the small stream when you reach it, and then mount the vehicle at the end. [Galbadia: Deling City] Just as Laguna parks the vehicle, 2 more appear, conveniently blocking your way to the other parts of Deling City. Ignore them for now, and run to the lower-right (the upper right street leads to an arch, which is of no value right now). Transverse the city streets until you reach Galbadia Hotel. Save, then head off to the right staircase. Converse with the waitress, who'll ask you to take a seat: - (I'm walk around a bit first.) - (Alright, I'm there!) * - (Huh? Excuse me?) The 2nd option lets you hear a nice little piano piece by Julia, an aspiring pianist and singer. Laguna himself gets all nervous when she asks of him to meet her in her room upstairs. Return upstairs to the reception counter: - Which is Julia's room? * - Ahh... nothing. (note: the darker bracketed speech bubbles you see in Laguna's scenarios are the reactions of Squall's party) ####################################################################### 1l. [Timber Tracks: Hijack Operation] Magazines: Pet Pals Vol. 2 (Resistance Base) Rare Card: Angelo (Watts) ####################################################################### Squall, Selphie and Zell wake up at this point, and are surprised to find they all shared the same dream. Squall makes a note to report this to Principal Cid as they disembark from the train. Speak to the man waiting on the steps: - But the moogles are still here. - But the chocobos are still here. - But the Owls are still around. * The 3rd option is the password. Taking either the 1st or 2nd option results in a rather amusing scene where Watts almost gets knocked down by a train ^_^ [Resistance Base] Once on board the train, Zone and Watts will formally introduce themselves as the leaders of the 'Forest Owls', and ask of Squall to wake their 'princess' up. Squall complies, but not without a few threatening remarks first. Side event: Watts holds Angelo's card, a rare card. You can win it from him if you so wish, or wait until later in the game. Head into the other sections of the train (take note of the Save Point in one of the cabins), into the nice flowery pink room. Rinoa will recall meeting Squall at the dance party, and requests him to proceed to the briefing room. Her dog, Angelo, will also make an appearance here. You will be asked to name both of them; again, this walkthrough will use the default name settings. It seems that President Deling of Galbadia will be passing through Timber on a train. The trio hatch a plan to capture him, and just for your reference, I've included a little diagram to show the entire procedure. =========================[Dummy Car]-[Resistance Base]================ ==[Locomotive]-[1st Escort]-[Prez's Car]-[2nd Escort]================= Basically, you'll have to leap from the Base onto the 2nd Escort, run to detach the 1st Escort from the Prez's Car, thus allowing the Dummy Car and the Base to slip in between the 1st Escort and the Prez's Car, then uncouple the 2nd Escort, causing the Base to break away along with the Prez's Car, leaving the Dummy Car in place of the latter. Relax, you don't have to memorize the procedure. Rinoa will let Squall have a practice session at entering passwords; press L1 to exit when you're through. Did you understand the briefing? - Yes. - Explain it again. I'll leave this up to you. The bulletin board in the upper-right of the planning room has copies of Anarchist Monthly pinned onto. These provide information on Vinzer Deling's ascension to power. Save, then talk to Watts. He'll ask Squall if he's ready: - Not yet. - Yeah. * Tip: Some people have written in complaining that instead of asking Squall if he's ready, Watts asks for a game of Card Battle instead... try speaking to Watts with the 'X' (U.S) button and NOT the 'Square' button... these two have different functions in ff 8. [Hijack Operation: Timber Railway Lines] Your 1st action is to leap across to the 2nd Escort. Do this by hitting the 'Jump' button ('X' for the U.S. version, 'Circle' for the Japanese version) when the 2 carriages are relatively close together. You'll be working against a 5 minute timer, so make it quick. Next, Squall will have to work his way across the car. Just stay put and observe the guards... who discover that none of their sensors are working. Scoot across to meet up with the rest, before the Galbadian troopers repair the sensors. Assuming you let the guards repair the sensors, and happen to be directly above when the blinds are open, here's how you should react: Blue guards (sound sensors): Halt. Red guards (temperature sensors): Don't stop, and keep moving. Time your movements accordingly. 3rd involves detachment of 1st Escort. Zell and Selphie will watch out for the guards, so whenever they call out, just rappel up. Here's the sequence: 1. Rappel down with 'down' (duh.) 2. Rinoa will give you a random password. For the U.S. version: L1=Scroll screen to the left For the Japanese version: L1=Scroll screen to the left So if it's 1 4 2 3 in the U.S. version, you would enter O, T, X, S (in the space of 5 seconds, mind you). 3. Basically, you should attempt to enter 2 passwords, then rappel up. Wait for the 2 guards to pass by and return before going down again. 4. You'll have to enter 3 passwords for this one. The 4th step is the detachment of the 2nd Escort. You'll need to enter 5 passwords now instead of 3; this time you'll have to look out for guards yourself with R1. Step 3 above still works though, so the guards shouldn't be a problem. Do this right the 1st time and your SeeD ranking will be raised. The whole operation should take you less than 3 minutes. Well, after all that talk, junction your members (excluding Rinoa) and save, then do yourselves a favour by returning to Rinoa's room to pick up the 2nd volume of 'Pet Pals'. Converse with Rinoa again when you're ready to go: - Not yet. - Yeah. * Rinoa and company will finally meet up with Deling, but he turns out to be a fake one. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Fake President HP: 532 Draw List: Cure Easy enough. You can stock up on 'Cure' spells if you wish. BOSS: Gerogero HP: 2,750 Weak: Holy, Fire, Earth, Heal Strong vs.: Poison Draw List: Esuna, Double, Berserk, Zombie Total AP: 20 This guy likes to cast various status ailment spells on you, so come equipped with various curative items, or simply the ability to draw Esuna from him. Attack Gerogero with Fire-junctioned Elemental Attacks, Cure spells and G.F. Ifrit. This tactic applies only to the Japanese version: one Phoenix Down is all it takes to kill Utoku. Now that you know that, you might still want to spend some time drawing Esuna and Double from him though. This also works in the U.S version, but chances are that it has a higher percentage of missing Gerogero. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gerogero had a different colouration in the Japanese version; most of the blue areas on him were actually red. After the fight, the party'll discuss the next course of action. Supposedly, Deling is scheduled to make a speech at Timber TV Station soon, so your next plan would then be to snoop around for info into getting to the broadcast station. Make a party of 3. I suggest you bring a weaker character as the 3rd party member; there're some opportunities to gain a few EXP here. Talk to Watts to leave. ###################################################################### 1m. [Timber] (note: Rinoa joins you here; she starts off at lv. 11) Enemies: G-Soldier, Elite Soldier Draw Points: Blizzaga, Cure, Scan Magazines: Pet Pals Vol. 3 and 4 (Pet Store) Girl Next Door, Timber Maniacs (Timber Maniacs) ###################################################################### While Timber's topography isn't exactly the most confusing ever in ff 8, I guess I'll do no harm by providing you guys with a map, right? Here you go: Timber TV Station | (Desert) | | --------------------------------\ | Pub-+------ | | Shop | Timber Maniacs Forest Foxes | Building HQ | | | | --------------------------------------- | Owl's| | | | | Tears| | | Local |(Resist.| |---| (Balamb)| Goods-| Train) | | | | | | | Junk Store Hotel | --------+-----------------+--------+---------\ (Dollet) | | Pet Store-| | | Main Gates *the bracketed locations mean that they're train platforms, and where each train is bound. After the events in Timber, the (Resistance Train) station becomes (Deling City). There'll be Galbadian guards around, so take time off to draw a few spells from them. You might want to purchase Pet Pals Vol. 3 and 4 from the Pet Store near the station which runs towards Balamb. All trains are non-operational at this time. There'll be a few instances when you need to combat the Galbadian soldiers, and resting is accomplished by heading to 'Owl's Tears', which is right at the outskirts of town. It's this little cabin with 3 persons living inside. Tell the old man that you like beverages (2nd option), and examine the tap to the left to heal up. However, if you plunder the 500 Gil from the cupboard beneath the television (just examine the cupboard repeatedly), you lose this service. You might also want to check out Timber Maniacs, which Laguna worked as a journalist for. There's a copy of an adult magazine (Girl Next Door) and Timber Maniacs to be picked up here among the stacks of books in the lobby and editing room respectively. The dark room in Timber Maniacs hides a 'Blizzaga' draw point as well. Btw, there's a guy clad in a grayish-green jacket outside Timber Maniacs; be sure to encourage him to receive a mediocre item from him later on in Disc Two. The house next door has a lady who will speak of an alleyway behind the Pub which leads to the TV Station. Once you're done, head on over to the Pub, by taking the stairs at the juncture in the next screen. 2 conversing Galbadian soldiers will mention about having obtained a Card; kick their butts to receive a lame monster card. There's an item shop to the left, so go ahead and purchase any goods before entering the Pub. There's a drunk man blocking the exit to the backlane inside: - Observe. - Talk to him. * Squall will have to respond to his demands for a drink: - Buy him a drink. - Tell him about the cards. * - Do nothing. He'll give you a Tonberry card, and move out of the way when you select the 2nd option. You can also choose to buy him a drink, but you won't receive anything in return. Talk with the woman to the left to know the drunk's favourite type of drink, then observe the drink the drunk's holding. Here's a list: [Red] [Yellow] [Green] [Sweet] Mimett Curiel Tantal [Bitter] Krakka Sylkis Reagan Outside, save, and follow the path to the TV Station. Rinoa, upon seeing the tight security around the place, decides to switch to a less subtle way of getting into the TV Station... much to the displeasure of Squall, who's annoyed by the way she changes her mind so quickly. Rinoa asks him to voice his opinions: - Yeah, I'll tell you. * - Forget it. It seems that Squall will still tell Rinoa off no matter which you choose though. You'll have the option of continuing or stopping: - ... Guess I'll follow up. - Well, just leave it at that. * Hurt, Rinoa runs off on her own, just as the programme starts. Vinzer Deling, President of Galbadia, will commence his speech. He starts to introduce his ambassador, a sorceress, but before he announces her name, his broadcast session is disrupted. Head for the TV Station immediately. Zell, in the midst of the commotion, unknowingly lets slip Garden has dispatched them to deal with the situation in Timber. Follow Quistis. The party has to get out of Timber after things have gotten ugly. Upon leaving the 'Foxes of the Forest' (the house next to Timber Maniacs), Watts, disguised as a Galbadian soldier, tells them that a train is bound for Dollet at the station, and to take care of Rinoa: - Ok (I have my orders). - Ok (You be careful, too). I'll leave this up to you. Retrace your steps, meet up with Zone (dressed as an old man), who'll pass you your tickets. Proceed right from here for the (Dollet)-bound train. Board the train? - Get on. * - Not yet. You'll have the option of talking to Zell in the train carriage: - (Leave him alone.) * - (Stay put.) Take the 1st option to advance the storyline. Actually, while the story requires you to drop off at the East Academy Station, I suggest you give that a miss and alight further on at Dollet. ####################################################################### 1n. [Dollet and Timber Revisited] Draw Points: Silence (Dollet) Magazines: Timber Maniacs (Hotel Dollet, Dollet Pub, Timber Hotel) Occult Fans Vol. II (Dollet Pub) Rare Cards: Siren (Master Card Player, 2F Dollet Pub) ####################################################################### While pretty much a scenic port town, Dollet has a number of interesting events and items. First off, check out the hotel rooms for an issue of 'Timber Maniacs'. Further down the streets, at the Pub, a man on the 2nd floor (he's the one to the left) will play cards with Squall. If you manage to defeat him (the 'Random' rule in Dollet makes it kinda hard...), he'll lead you to his private room. There's also a copy of Timber Maniacs on the 2nd floor of the Pub. Check out the magazines on the floor (make sure you look at them from every angle, sometimes you'll find different stuff for each of the 4 sides of each stack) for 'Occult Fans Volume II'. And if you're really eager to complete your card collection, Siren's card is winnable from the same guy, who's also known as the Master Card Player. One of the houses has a painting hanging in the center... Squall has to look for a mutt around Dollet (each painting has a bone which gives the location of the dog outside the house). There's a total of 3 locations; you can get a free Potion, Phoenix Down and Soft (Gold Needle) for your efforts. If you do this in Disc Three, you'll get a Potio