===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~=== -~+~--~+~--~+~--~+~--~+~--~+~--~+~--~+~--~+~--~+~- Final Fantasy Tactics Advance FAQ/Walkthrough By: Dark Vortex (Quan Jin) darkvortexfaqs@ymail.com Version 1.8 -~+~--~+~--~+~--~+~--~+~--~+~--~+~--~+~--~+~--~+~- ===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~===~=== This guide may be found on the following sites: [http://www.gamefaqs.com]--------------------------------------------[GameFAQs] [http://www.gamespot.com]--------------------------------------------[GameSpot] [http://faqs.ign.com]------------------------------------------------[IGN FAQs] [http://www.neoseeker.com]------------------------------------------[Neoseeker] [http://www.dlh.net]--------------------------------------[Dirty Little Helper] [http://www.cheats.de]----------------------------------------------[Cheats.de] [http://www.supercheats.com]--------------------------------------[SuperCheats] [http://www.advance-gamers.com]---------------------------------[AdvanceGamers] [http://www.gameplayworld.com]----------------------------------[GameplayWorld] This guide is copyright (c)2005-2008 Quan Jin _ _ | |=========================================================================| | | |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Table of Contents ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| | |_|=========================================================================|_| 1. Introduction...............................................[1000] 2. FAQ........................................................[2000] 3. Basics to Battling.........................................[3000] 4. Walkthrough................................................[4000] 5. Missions...................................................[5000] 6. Races......................................................[6000] 7. Job System.................................................[7000] 8. Your Clan..................................................[8000] 9. Laws and Imprisonment......................................[9000] 10. Equipment Listing........................................[10000] 10.1. Helmets/Hats....................................[10100] 10.2. Armor/Clothes...................................[10200] 10.3. Weaponry........................................[10300] 10.4. Shields.........................................[10400] 10.5. Accessories.....................................[10500] 11. Clans Listing............................................[11000] 12. Monster Listing..........................................[12000] 13. Miscellaneous............................................[13000] 13.1. The Monster Bank...............................[13100] 13.2. Areas..........................................[13200] 13.3. Secret Characters..............................[13300] 13.4. Name Meanings..................................[13400] 14. Version History..........................................[14000] 15. Legal Disclaimers........................................[15000] 16. Credits and Closing......................................[16000] To find a section quickly, press Ctrl-F and type in either the name of the section along with its content number (ie. 1., 2., 3., etc.) OR you can use the codes on the far right. Simply type in the brackets with the code number to get a jump. _ _ | |=========================================================================| | | |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Introduction ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[1000]~| | |_|=========================================================================|_| Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is a game produced by Square-Enix to celebrate the partnership between Square and Nintendo for the Nintendo GBA. Although it bears the same name as the original PlayStation version (with 'Advance' tacked on at the end), FFTA is a different game. The only real characteristic that FFTA has in common with FFT is the whole strategic, tactical aspect of the battle. Like all RPGs, Final Fantasy Tactics is full of complications in which new players might get tangled with. This guide is designed to be both a reference for veteran players, and a strategy guide for those newer players. _ _ | |=========================================================================| | | |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. FAQ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[2000]~| | |_|=========================================================================|_| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] How long is this game? [A] This game is really pretty long. The game itself is 300 missions long. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] I failed a mission which had an item I needed to do another mission! What do I do?! [A] Don't get all panicky just yet! Most of the time, the game will allow you to redo dispatch missions so you can get that item even though you failed the first time. However, at times, the mission once failed won't appear ever again. Try not to fail too many to avoid this. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] Why is there no "Controls" section in this FAQ? [A] I felt it wasn't needed. In it's place, I put my "Basics to Battling" section. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] What does it mean when it says, "[Insert name] has mastered [Insert Ability]?" [A] Your member has mastered that particular ability. If you needed an item to use that ability, you can now use that ability whenever you want without the item. I would suggest immediately learning a new ability after mastering one so you don't waste experience. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] How many missions are there in all? I need help finding them and completing them! [A] There are 300 missions in all which you can undergo and accomplish. Keep in mind that there are also three or four "Reserve" missions which don't count to your mission count. Don't worry, I'll list them as well as provide strategy to completing them. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] Does it really matter which missions you do first? [A] You can do the missions in any order you would like. Although sometimes, doing one mission ahead of the other might help you out quite a bit. However, there will always be this one objective that you must complete to advance through the game. Read the walkthrough for more information. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] What does the [Insert number here]+[h] icon in the upper right corner mean? [A] It's the land unit height. For example, say that a piece of land is 1 unit high. Then it would be 3h. Certain characters can only jump a few units high while others can jump higher. Experiment around with them. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] How do I complete Mission [Insert mission here]? [A] The walkthrough holds the required missions to advance through the game. Apart from that, you can just read the Missions list for the remaining ones. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] What do the Move, Jump, and Evade stats mean? [A] Move is the amount of steps your character can take in one turn. Jump is the amount of tiles a character can jump (Read above). And Evade is how evasive the clanner is in avoiding attacks and status ailments against. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] What exactly are: Atk., Def., Pow., Res., and Speed stats? [A] Atk. stands for Weapon Attack; how much damage your character can do with the equipped weapon. Def. stands for Weapon Defense. This stat is how much punishment from another weapon your clanner can take. Pow. stands for Magic Power, which is how powerful your character's magic is, and finally, Res. stands for Magic Resistance, which is the same as Weapon Defense except it shows your characters resistance to magic. Speed is obviously, how fast your character is. Faster characters move first. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] What is a Totema? [A] Totemas are the protector of the five crystals. Each one represents each race. During the game, you will be fighting all five to destroy all five crystals. Upon defeating a Totema, you will be able to use its power in battle with 10 JP. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] There is a way to predict how much damage your attack will inflict and the accuracy of it, somewhere. Right? [A] This question is kind of stupid as those figures are in plain sight. Right before you initiate a move, the estimated damage and accuracy is shown right above your character's HP count. You can see this for any move, even your enemys'. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] Can any unit learn an Ultima attack? [A] The answer to that is no. Only a select few jobs can learn the Ultima attacks. However, while powerful, they are incredibly pricy. AP is 999 and MP cost is a whopping 60! +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] Okay, how do you learn moves like White Wind or Mighty Guard if the enemy monster won't use it on you? [A] This is one of the many hardships for getting a Blue Mage. If you ever want to see your Blue Mage learn an ability like that, you are going to need a Beastmaster. Tell your Beastmaster to control the monster that holds the ability, and then force the monster to use it on you. For example, to get White Wind, you need your Beastmaster to know the ability, Fairy. Therefore, the Beastmaster can control the Sprite. Force White Wind onto the Blue Mage and there you go. The same goes for all other non-offensive attacks. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] I don't understand why the Bomb/Grenade doesn't hold the Blowup ability for my Blue Mage. What is up? [A] For that ability to be available, the controlled Bomb/Grenade must be in critical health. Then, control it, and you will note that the ability magically appeared. However, be aware that there is a 20% chance that this will not occur. Continually control it with your Beastmaster, and you should see it eventually. I have noticed that the chances go up considerably when the Bomb/Grenade is surrounded on three-four sides. If it can't move while in critical health, it will most likely hold the Blowup ability. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] Can a Blue Mage learn from another Blue Mage? [A] Although Learning is expected to be used from monsters, you can teach your Blue Mage moves from another Blue Mage. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] I'm a Blue Mage idiot. How do you learn a move like Roulette if it KOs you instantly? [A] There is a simple answer to that. Cast Auto-Life on it or simply hold an item like Angel Ring to automatically get an Auto-Life. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] Can the Thief's ability, Steal: Ability steal any ability? [A] No, it can only steal an ability that's learned by a job in it's race. For example, say Crout, the (human) Thief decides to steal a Templar's ability. That's impossible as the abilities that a Templar learns cannot be learned by any human job. However, if he uses Steal: Ability on any human, he'll get an ability. There are some exceptions however. Crout can still use Steal: Ability on a White Monk, and get one of two ability, Air Render or Far Fist. Why? Because Air Render and Far Fist are abilities that the human Fighter can learn. Therefore, Crout will master the Fighter A-Ability. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] Which is better? Turbo MP or Geomancy? [A] Turbo MP doubles the MP usage, but creates bigger damage and best of all, improves your hit rate. However, Geomancy on the other hand doesn't affect the MP cost, but it does improve Magic Power. I prefer Turbo MP on my units with lots of MP (Illusionist), and Geomancy with more offensive spells (Black Mage). +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] Do the eight skill levels do anything else other than being requisites for certain missions? [A] Yes, they do one more thing. Upon reaching a certain level for each skill, you will get items. Most of them cannot be bought in the Shop so you will want to get those skill levels up to collect all of them. You will find a full list in the "Your Clan" section. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] How many Mission Items are there in all? [A] I would believe there are 122 (more or less). Check the "Your Clans" section for a full list. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] What's the maximum amount of Mission Items you can carry? [A] I would believe that figure is 64. Any more, and you will be forced to throw one of them out. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] When do I get to use Law Cards? [A] Law Cards become available after completing Mission #6 Antilaws, and rescusing Ezel. From that point, you can visit Ezel's shop in Cadoan and bargain for different Cards. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] How do I use Law Cards? [A] When it's one of your unit's turn, press the B Button and the game menu will appear. Select Law Cards and choose the Law Card you want to use. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] What's the difference between a White Card and a Dark Card. [A] The White Cards are Law Cards that add a law. They are useful when your enemy is using a move which you really hate. For example, if your opponent constantly Charms you, you might want to add a Charm Law Card so that your opponent can't use Charm anymore without receiving Yellow Cards. Dark Cards are the Antilaws. These work the exact opposite by deleting or "nullifying" The day's Laws. Use these to take out any pesky Laws that you don't like. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] How many Law Cards and Antilaws can you carry in all? [A] That number is 24. If you attempt to hold one more, you will be forced to throw one out. Don't let that happen, as you can simply trade away the cards you don't like for useful cards. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] If an ability requires 999 AP, does that mean it can't be mastered? [A] I know it might already be an instinct after playing a lot of other games to think that 999 AP means infinite AP, but yes, you can still master them. Even though it does indeed take a while to get that 999 AP, it is possible. You will find that some higher end abilities require that amount. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] Can a Beastmaster control a Morpher when he is in Morph mode? [A] Although that would be pretty cool, the answer is no. Even when the Morpher is "morphed," it cannot be controlled by the Beastmaster. They can only control genuine monsters, not imitation. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] Is it true that prices differ from Shop to Shop? [A] Yes, that is true. Generally, Shops sell items in which the inhabitant of that town uses, at a cheaper price. For example, Muscadet is a Viera town. Therefore, all weapons and items that Viera's use are at a cheaper price. Rapiers are a perfect example. At the Baguba Port Shop (Moogle town), items like Guns and Knuckles will be down in price, etc. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] I threw out [Insert Mission Item here]. Can I get another one? [A] That depends. If it's an item like Black Thread or something like that, you will have to start over or trade with a friend. Certain mission items can be received again and again but certain items require you to keep them. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] How do you save in mid-battle? [A] When it's one of your unit's turn, press the B Button and the game menu will appear. Choose the save option that should be at the bottom and save your game. Keep in mind that once you load up a game file saved in battle, the file will automatically disappear afterwards. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] What are the possible status ailments or things that appear in bubble above a character? [A] There are quite a few. Some of then are good while the others are bad. Here's a quickie list; - Addle (Addles foe to prevent enemy from using abilities.) - Astra (Automatically nullifies the first negative status ailment against.) - Auto-Life (Upon receiving Auto-Life, your unit will be revived automatically upon being KOed.) - Berserk (Unit will attack on its own, but attack power is increased.) - Blind (Blinds foe to greatly lowers accuracy and increase hit rate on that enemy.) - Charm (Charms foe to think that enemy is on your side.) - Confuse (Confuses foe so that enemy will attack the nearest unit no matter of friend or foe.) - Control (Controls enemy monsters to accept your orders for one turn.) - Cover (A Paladin's tech. The Paladin will take all the damage for that unit during one turn.) - Disable (Disables foe to prevent enemy from using "Action.") - Doom (Dooms foe to automatically KO that unit within three turns.) - Frog (Turns foe into a Frog. Enemy will not be able to use any abilities and attack power is greatly reduced.) - Haste (Speeds up unit.) - Immobilize (Immobilizes foe to prevent enemy from using "Move.") - Petrify (Petrifies foe and turns enemy into stone. Petrified units count as KOed unless revived by item.) - Poison (Poisons foe so that enemy is hurt by Poison every turn.) - Protect (Cast Protect to protect against weapon attacks.) - Reflect (Cast a Barrier to slingshot back all magic, good or bad, back at caster.) - Shell (Casts Shell to protect against magic attacks.) - Silence (Silence a foe so that enemy will not be able to speak and use any magic spells.) - Sleep (Puts foe to Sleep. Will not wake up until struck.) - Slow (Slows down unit.) - Stop (Stops unit completely.) +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] WHAT THE **** HAPPENED TO BAHUMAT?! [A] Well, it was removed from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Yes, I know it was in the regular Tactics for the PS, but this time, Bahumat won't be making its appearance. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] Are there any secret characters? [A] Yes, there are quite a few. Check the section with the same name for more information. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] Is Babus really a Nu Mou? He doesn't look like it. [A] I have heard this many of a time, and I have one answer, yes. Babus is discussed often because of his non-resemblance to normal Nu Mou. While I just think that this is caused by his obvious well-groomed lifestyle (Just look how shiny he looks!), others think that he was modeled after Mewt's teddy bear. It's a useless bit of trivia, but interesting nonetheless. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [Q] Are there any cheat codes in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance? [A] *dies* +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ _ _ | |=========================================================================| | | |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. Basics to Battling ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[3000]~| | |_|=========================================================================|_| The game will provide you a small tutorial at the beginning of the game (even though it's a snowball fight instead of a real battle). This should usually be enough for most people but if you still are confused, here's the basics to battling in my own words. When you start off, you usually have to place the clan members you want in the fight immediately on the deck. You can only place them on the blue squares flashing and most missions and encounters don't let you exceed six on the field at once. Once you have placed your character, you can change the direction you want them to be facing. Try to be smart when picking your characters. If the law states no swords, then putting eight soldiers on the field won't help you. Also, try to face your clan members towards the enemy. As you progress through the game, you will learn more and more about where to place your players and in what positions. Most of the time, I would put all Archers and people with ranged attacks in the front along with the main Soldiers and melee members. White Mages usually aren't made to attack enemies so keep them in the rear. It's all about strategy. The player with the fastest speed (you or the enemy) will move first. To move, you first have to select "Move" from the menu. The pieces of land in blue are currently accessible. You might want to move to attack an enemy or avoid an enemy's attack. If you currently are a melee member, try to get in back of your target or to the sides. It's much easier to hit an enemy if you get them from the back. Same thing with Archers and ranged attacks. To attack an enemy or just use an ability, use the "Action" icon when you are in range for an attack or an ability. After selecting what you want, there will be a "Do It" or "Cancel" option. If you have second thoughts about using the move you currently are, you can cancel it and go back. Successive hits will gain you experience as well as help you win against your opponent. You can tell one of your members to "Wait." This means that they won't do anything. You can still select which direction they will face though. If you tell a member to "Wait," they will have their turn earlier next round. This turn of turns will continue until everyone gets a chance to move or use "Action." Then it will cycle back around. The order will for the most part, never stay the same. People will constantly Wait and they will get earlier positions. That's really the hang of it really. Be sure to check the laws (do that by pressing B when it's one of your members turn and pressing Law on the main menu). Breaking them will give you either a Yellow Card or a Red Card. Two Yellow Cards equal a Red Card and then you will be sent to prison. Bailing a member will cost you gil however so try not to get caught too much. _ _ | |=========================================================================| | | |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4. Walkthrough ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[4000]~| | |_|=========================================================================|_| O-O-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~O~O | | T H E S T O R Y | | O-O-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~O~O | | | Long before Noah built his ark, the tales | | tell of an ancient land called Kiltia... | | a world where swords and sorcery reigned. | | | | Its learning and power were swept away in | | the great flood, but one clue to its | | secrets remained: an ancient book known | | as the Gran Grimoire, hidden in darkness | | by the powers that once were. | | | | It is not certain how many copies of the | | book still exist, but it is said that | | whoever should hold one holds the power | | to change the world. | | | | Many lived out their days searching the | | world for surviving copies, but none were | | ever found. | | | | It was an illusion, they said. A myth-- | | but one worth dying for. | | | | Our story begins soon after a young boy | | named Marche moves to the country town of | | St. Ivalice. Marche's family has had a | | difficult past, and it is all he can do | | to adjust to country life with the help | | of his new friends: Mewt, a mature but | | timid boy who often gets picked on, and | | Ritz, a stellar student whose strong- | | willed nature has made her unpopular at | | school. They are friends, though they | | barely know more than each other's names. | | But one day, the three of them come | | across an ancient magical book, and St. | | Ivalice changes forever... | | | O-O-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~O~O | | T H E S T O R Y | | O-O-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~O~O Of course, the walkthrough is meant to be a mission-by-mission walkthrough throughout the length of the entire game. There will be a load of major spoilers throughout the walkthrough obviously so read at your own risk. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] The game starts off immediately in the local school yard. You are Marche (you can change your name later on) and you are a new kid in the town of St. Ivalice. Immediately into the game, a group of kids begin making fun of a boy named Mewt. Marche decides to stand up a bit for him, but instead, the bullies begin teasing over Marche. Luckily, a local named Ritz decides to stand up for the both of them. Type in your name (or leave it at Marche if you'd like). The annoying bully will switch teams as Ritz offers him and the first battle of the game will go underway. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Team Activity : Snowball Fight \ |=================================\ Difficulty: Very Easy Enemies: Nurse D.J. (Guiness) PE Head (Colin) PE Head (Lyle) This is really just a tutorial rather than a real full-scale battle. First off, Mr. Leslaie, your teacher will offer to teach you a little bit about snowball fights. Ritz will offer to help as well. You should try to pay attention to it the best you can. When the small tutorial is finished, press "No" to continue. Now the controls are finally given over to you. Experiment a bit moving, and throw snowballs at your leisure (By the way, pay no attention to their job names, they don't make any sense). Don't sweat over this battle. You can't win or lose let alone KOing anyone at all. After the second turn begins(Or until Mewt loses all HP), Mewt will begin to run... The boys see this as a perfect opportunity to get some more comments in. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] The bullies will continue to throw snowballs at Mewt and Mewt only. Luckily, Ritz finally moves in to help out the poor kid. The last snowball from Colin will knock a gash in Mewt's forehead and cause it to bleed which Marche will notice immediately. Ritz will get a bit angry and blame the boys for being totally unjustified and for being big, fat meanies. That was really the last straw for those boys and they now begin making fun of Ritz, calling her "whitey-locks" for her white hair (It might just be me but I think girls with white hair are hot). With that last move, Ritz loses it and if not for Mr. Leslaie who had just walked in the nick of time, she would have probably beaten the living crap out of Colin. That sure would have been interesting! After Mr. Leslaie brings away the three boys (BUSTED!), the scene will shift to an empty playground with Ritz, Mewt, and Marche. Mewt will thank both Marche and Ritz for helping him on the playground and then asks Marche what he's doing after school. Marche will explain that he has to pick up his brother from the hospital and Mewt offers to bring over a special "book" for his two new friends. Marche accepts along with Ritz who also decides to tag along. The scene will shift once again and some soft, friendly music will play. You will be on the city streets where a pretty hardcore-looking man appears to be apologizing to two officials. Apparently, he must have done something... Ritz will say some pretty mean things about Mewt's dad, obviously unknowing that the man is Mewt's father. There will be some typical "father & son" small talk and then Marche will leave the screen along the Mewt's father. Ritz will explain to Mewt that Marche's family is also a bit disfunctional. Marche doesn't have a dad. Scene shift to a boy sitting in a wheelchair. Marche will walk in and greet his brother, Doned. Marche will explain that they had a snowball fight today. Doned asks if they picked on him again and Marche will tell him that he's just not used to sports. Doned makes a wise-crack, saying Marche was never good at sports, and laughs. Soon, Mewt and Ritz will arrive and Mewt brings out his book. Mewt says that he doesn't even know what the title is and they open up the book. A colorful cinematic will occur. Note the strange creatures that are drawn throughout the book. You will be meeting some of them very soon. Marche will say that he can't read those letters at all. Ritz thinks that the book is in Latin and Mewt will read some incomprehensible letters. Doned will then say that he wishes he could use magic. And then again, Doned tells Marche that maybe if he could use magic, he'd be better at sports. Everyone laughs (Except for Marche of course). Mewt then says that it would be cool if this book were real. Ritz then says that books are usually boring and games are a lot more likeable. Following is a discussion on what game they would love to live. Mewt says he would love Final Fantasy, his favorite. Then, Marche's two friends leave and another cinematic appears. Suddenly, the local schoolyard turns into a desert and the town street transforms into a busy marketplace with strange creatures. Cut to Marche's room where the two are sleeping. Doned disappears somewhere and Marche floats up and changes clothes. He is then sent to a desert town somewhere... Marche wakes and wonders where the heck he could possibly be. He looks at the creatures and gets a bit confused. He then walks up a bit and runs into a lizard-like creature (A Bangaa). Unknowing of their proper name, Marche calls them lizards which obviously got them pretty angry. Luckily, a talking stuffed animal comes and saves the day. The thing (A Moogle) will explain to the Bangaa that Marche just came from the countryside. Marche apologizes and all is well... until the Bangaa challenges Marche to an engagement... A strange person in armor appears and the Moogle explains that the Bangaa is engaging you. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Engage With : Bangaas \ |========================\ Difficulty: Very Easy Enemies: White Monk Warrior Marche then understands that Engage means fight. The Moogle then delivers a fairly comedic affirmative. The Moogle then explains that the person in armor is a judge and the laws for today are fixed. The Moogle then tells a confused Marche that the law for today bans Items and advises Marche to always check the law. Soon, it'll be your turn... Remember the Snowball Fight? Well, an engagement is basically the same thing. You are a Soldier right now and you are armed with a Shortsword. Move up to the Bangaa (Go to the side or back for a better chance of hitting) and Fight him. The Moogle (Who's name, you'll find out is Montblanc) is a Black Mage and he'll use his elemental attacks. This is a very easy battle. Just defeat the two Bangaas to win. Along the battle, you will learn about Judge Points as well. Montblanc will explain that they allow you to do combos with other clan members. (But later, they'll be used for the Totemas...) [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] After the battle, the Bangaa you just KOed will rise again and use a Potion to heal his HP. However, do you remember the law on Items? The judge will immediately notice and runs over to send the Bangaa to prison. Montblanc will then explain to Marche the jail system where the people who break laws go to. The Moogle will explain that his name is Montblanc if you hadn't already known. Montblanc will ask Marche a few questions and in the end, Marche learns that he really has gotten himself into something weird. Montblanc will bring you to his clan. He then gives you the honor of naming the clan. If you can't come up with any ideas, just use the default, Nutsy. But let me tell you something, if I ever link with you and you have Nutsy as your clan title, I will impale you with a leaking pen (For real). You can easily tell how much I despise it. And finally, you will appear at the world map where you are to place the Sprohm symbol. Notice all the empty circles. By the end of the game, you would have filled up all of them give or take one. Also, you should now notice that you have a chance to save. I would suggest you do that right now. Head over to Cyril (If you aren't already there) and go to the Shop. I would suggest upgrading some of your character's armor (not weapons yet. I'm sure you'd rather learn their abilities first) and perhaps give them a few accessories. When that's done, head over to the Pub and read some of the Rumors. They are very helpful so I'd suggest going through them all. When you're done with that, go back and select Missions. There's only one on the board so select Herb Picking. Read through the mission description if you like and the Pubmaster will explain to you Mission Items, then hit OK and confirm that you want this mission. He'll take 300 Gil as the information cost and that's your first mission. Montblanc will ask you about your mission and Marche will respond. When you are ready, head over to Giza Plains. Be sure to check the law for today before engaging. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Herb Picking \ |=========================\ Difficulty: Very Easy Enemies: Goblin Goblin Goblin Red Cap Sprite Enter the Giza Plains area and Marche and Montblanc will walk in. Immediately, Marche will notice some monsters and note that they will have to clear them out. You are allowed four more clan members (or everyone in your clan obviously) to join the battle. This isn't difficult at all so you can take your time. The Goblins aren't very powerful but the Red Cap can cause some problems. I'd suggest bombarding it with Black Magic from Montblanc. The Sprite should probably be left for last as it doesn't use any abilities and its Fight move does miniscule damage. Once you defeat all enemies, you will have completed your first mission! [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] After the mission, Montblanc will ask you what you were supposed to be collecting again. Marche will respond with Muscmaloi and Montblanc will explain that they grow all over the place. Oh well, it was an easy mission and hopefully, it familiarized the battle system a bit. Get to either Sprohm or Cyril and check the Pub again. There will be quite a few missions for you to play through. Notice the missions at the top. Most of the time, those missions are the ones required to get through the game. The remaining are just optional quests. However, I would strongly suggest you complete the other three missions before disembarking for the mission, Thesis Hunt and gain a few levels. You might also notice a Mission that doesn't have a sword symbol next to it, but instead, a scroll. This is a dispatch mission and there's no engagement involved. Choosing one of your clanners to dispatch, they will be gone for the days listed and return at the end of that period. You can fail or win it, but all that depends on the clanner you choose to send out. As you progress through the game, you'll learn more about it. When you think you are ready, buy the mission, Thesis Hunt, and venture over to Lutia Pass. Be sure you brought some Potions (Can be bought at the Shop) along with you. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Thesis Hunt \ |========================\ Difficulty: Medium Enemies: Archer Soldier x2 Thief x2 White Mage This battle is really a major step up from the previous "Monster Mash" that we just had. Instead of the weakling Goblins, now we are up against a group of pickpockets who have a few tricks up their sleeves. The two units at the top of the arena are a White Mage and a lvl. 4 Thief. Those two (obviously) cannot be attacked towards the first few rounds because of their position but you should attempt to prioritize them the best you can. The stronger, lvl. 4 Thief know the Reaction ability, Counter which should be something new to you. To avoid that ability, use ranged attacks like Montblanc's Black Magic or your Archer. The Soldiers use Mug often, but other than that, they just attack with sword slashes. While their swords can do quite some damage, don't waste time on them until the end of the battle. Defeat the Archer quickly before it can use any of his annoying, Aim: Arm or Aim: Legs crap. When everyone is taken down, the mission is yours and Dalilei's thesis is back into safe keeping. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] Afterwards, Montblanc will explain to you the clan wars. The "Clan" option will also be placed in your main menu. Check it out if you want. From this point on, you now have the ability to challenge other clans. They are represented by the other red people on the overworld map. Challenge them by walking into them. This is a great way to gain EXP so take advantage of it and challenge as many as possible. Don't forget about the laws though! Now head over to Cyril to trigger a small cutscene. The Pubmaster will greet you as always and he'll tell you that there's a lot of clans who want to fight, and basically, tells you to keep your distance. After that you can head over to the Pub where a bunch of missions are available. Read the Rumors first though. Do as many missions as you'd like and engage with a few clans to get the feel of them. When you feel your clan members are at a solid level (Levels 5-6 are good), choose The Cheetahs from the mission menu. Head over to Nubswood. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : The Cheetahs \ |=========================\ Difficulty: Easy Enemies: Thief White Monk Fighter Archer Black Mage Marche will step into the Nubswood area and who else does he find other than his old friend, Ritz!... Along with a Viera who calls herself Shara. Also on the playing field is the clan which calls themselves the "Cheetahs." And after a bit of a reunion, the battle begins with you being allied with Ritz and Shara. With them, this engagement is that much easier. I wouldn't suggest a White Mage for this battle, while you can still bring one in if you are unsure of your clan, there's a very little chance that any of your units will actually get KOed as long as you know what you're doing. You can only bring in three other clanners so the free space can be useful. You should take out the White Mage first obviously. Then, go for the Archer which can immobilize and disable your units. I know you might want to prioritize the Thief and Fighter, but during this battle, they aren't really any threat. Your second priority should be the White Monk, and the rest is your choice. It's a very easy battle so take your time. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] Shortly after the battle, the three will have a conversation. Ritz tells Marche that she loves this world and never wants to go back. Marche concurs however and then leaves the scene. Place Eluut Sands on the map and venture to the Cyril Pub to trigger a cutscene. Marche will tell Montblanc that he was sure that Ritz would want to go back so that the both of them could find their way home. Apparently, he was totally wrong. The next mission is Desert Peril, but before you do that, engage a few clans and do some of the missions. Also, check the shops for some interesting stuff you might want to buy. Now, about your levels. Try to head off to Eluut Sands with the mission Desert Peril, with all your members at lvl. 6-7. You'll need it, believe me. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Desert Peril \ |=========================\ Difficulty: Slightly Hard Enemies: Cream Red Panther x2 Antlion Coeurl Marche and Montblanc will walk into the area when the two are greeted by a group of monsters. Well, nothing else to do but engage them. This is a tough battle considering how early in the game it is. You probably don't have any better jobs other than the regular Archer, Soldier, etc. The toughest monsters here are the Panther class. Those are the two Red Panthers and the Coeurl which is a stronger, blue version of the Red Panther. All three have incredible attack power and their defense is really high. If your Archer has learned Aim: Arm, target the Coeurl to disable it for a while. The Cream is a strange creature which is barely affected by physical attack. However, use Fire (As it is weak against fire elemental) from one of your Black Mages to kill it in one shot or critically damage it. With the three Panthers out of the way, this battle will go much quicker. Chip away at the monsters and victory is yours! [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] After the battle, Marche will question Montblanc as to why the monsters here are, or simply could go so crazy. Montblanc will respond with the best of his ability. There are many theories and one of them is the theory of crystals. Montblanc will explain to Marche that some think that there are crystals hiding somewhere. Upon ending the conversation, place the Ulei River on the map. After that, you can head to the Pub for a bunch of new missions. Try the Dispatches, and level up your clan to 8-9. When all is done, the mission, Twisted Flow, from the mission menu should be your next objective. Head over to Ulei River and begin your engagement. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Twisted Flow \ |=========================\ Difficulty: Hard Enemies: Totema (Famfrit) Floateye x2 Ahriman x2 Marche will slowly walk into the Ulei River area. After looking around a tiny bit, he concludes that nothing seems to be wrong. However, a strange black warp will appear in the center of the screen. Immediately, Marche is on his guard, but his cautiousness isn't enough to avoid the warp itself which sends Marche to a strange temple-like area... At first, Marche will be confused. However, he looks ahead and notices something... A crystal! But before he can do anything, a strange voice booms through the air demanding Marche's name. Uttering a nervous whisper, Marche returns the question. A strange creature warps out of the crystal and explains to you that his name is Famfrit, the Totema of the first crystal. Though he looks friendly, he isn't about to let some insecure human get to the crystal which he was charged with defending. Calling upon two Floateyes and two Ahrimans, he wishes to engage. The objective here is to defeat the boss. In this case, it's the Moogle Totema, Famfrit. If your units are leveled up well enough, this battle will go much quicker. The best thing you can do would be to put Famfrit to sleep and deal with the other monsters first even though your objective is to take out Famfrit. While Famfrit is asleep, you will want Marche or your main attacker to get up to him and give him a nice slash or smack to wake him and get a free hit. Note that one of the Ahriman's knows the ability, Roulette. It gets in a corner and randomly KOs a random unit, on your team or even on his own team. Diligently cut away at Famfrit's health and you should defeat this Totema. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] The first Totema battle is now over with the defeat of Famfrit. Marche immediately wants to know what the crystal is and what role it plays. The crystal is the thread that binds the world. The world that Famfrit, the Moogle Totema, was born to protect. With that, Famfrit gives clues to which race he was born. The white ones, the skilled machinists. With that, Famfrit offers to lend you his power... Famfrit disappears and the first crystal will crack. Mewt will appear for a moment and another booming voice will tell you that when the threads are destroyed, this world will be dissolved and another will be born. The screen fades to white... Scene shift to Bervenia Palace. Judgemaster Cid walks in to a troubled Mewt. Cid will ask Mewt what has happened. Mewt resolves on something horrible that has happened a while ago. The kids at the schoolyard were throwing snowballs. A terrible memory but Mewt passes it on quickly. Being the Prince Mewt himself, he asks to strengthen the Laws to justify what has happened. With that, Queen Remedi, Mewt's mother will walk in along with Babus, Mewt's servant. Mewt's request was granted, the Laws are now stronger. Scene shift to a later point on the Ulei River. The dark warp brings Marche back, confused and dazed. Marche recaps and realizes that he must destroy every crystal if he ever wants to go back home! Justifying his statement, Marche now disembarks to destroy the next crystals. Now, you have the Moogle Totema, Famfrit, which can be used by any Moogle with 10 JP. Along with that, place Cadoan on the map. Begin by heading off to Cadoan to trigger a cutscene. Some townsfolk will be complaining about the Laws and throwing some knocks at the Queen. A strange Nu Mou will walk in on you and give you a few words about the Laws. The townsfolk will then discuss the new gossip. A person by the name of Ezel Berbier has seemingly found some way around the Laws of Ivalice with "Antilaws." With that, the Nu Mou gives you a few words on Ezel Berbier and takes his leave... Walk to Cyril or Sprohm and buy some items like Potions and such. Re-equip if you'd like and do any missions. When you are finished, head to Cadoan again to trigger an engagement! [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Antilaws \ |=====================\ Difficulty: Medium Enemies: Gladiator Illusionist Hunter Ninja Fighter Defender It seems that shady Nu Mou fellow we met before in Cadoan is now in trouble. Marche isn't too smart here. Oh yes, let's help some random Nu Mou stranger that we only met through chance. Anyhow, Marche, being the ethical fellow he is, decides to help the troubled Nu Mou, whether he's a murderer or simply a innocent bystander. Let's find out. The battle consists of your clan versus six other enemies. Ezel the Hermetic (Yes, you learn that the Nu Mou fellow is the great Ezel Berbier) will help you out but he won't actually attack. His ability, Azoth, can put all the enemies to sleep. However, since you can't control him, it's hard to tell if Ezel will use it or not. Anyhow, the Illusionist is probably a new unit you haven't yet seen before. Illusionists use Phantasm to throw a spell and damage the entire field without having to manually hit something. This battle is tough, yes, but if you know who to prioritize, you should be fine. If your clan has low Magic Resistance, the Illusionist should be your main target. If your clan has low Defense, the Fighter and Defender should be taken out immediately. The Hunter and Ninja on the upper rear end of the playing field should be attacked last. Constantly attack and you should be fine. Be sure that Ezel stays alive however! [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] Once the enemy forces are defeated, the situation seems to be over with after a quick thanks from Ezel... if only Judgemaster Cid hadn't been summoned because of the ruckus we created over here. A short conversation between Ezel and Cid will occur. Cid asks that Ezel come into his custody, but Ezel declines "respectfully." Cid will attempt an Advanced Law to Petrify Ezel, but that Berbier fellow has a few tricks up his sleeves. Pulling out an Antilaw, he teleports out... with you following. Cid, being defeated, walks away like nothing happened. In the Cadoan Pub, Marche queries Ezel on what the heck just happened. As obvious, Ezel's Antilaw stopped Cid's Advanced Law. Marche considers that to be an amazing feat. Berbier states that the Judges and their Laws have crossed the lines... as well as being fun to annoy! As the conversation draws to a close, Ezel tells Marche of his secret Law Card shop. With that, the convo ends. Now with Mission #6 finished, you have access to the Law Cards and Antilaws. Since you are already at Cadoan, check out Ezel's shop. By now, you should only have the R2 Antilaw which you received as an award for that mission, but as you advance through the game, you will gain more and more. Use them to nullify Laws, or add new ones. If you are ever missing a card you really want, check out Ezel's shop for some trading. There are a bunch of new Missions hanging out at the Sprohm, Cyril, and Cadoan Pubs. Check them out as you always do, and read any new rumors that appear. Once you feel you are ready for the next story Mission, choose Diamond Rain, ahead head over to Aisenfield for another engagement! [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Diamond Rain \ |=========================\ Difficulty: Slightly Hard Enemies: Bomb Lamia Ice Flan Icedrake Take a look at the enemies list for this mission. Yep, all of them are monsters, and all of them have incredibly valuable abilities for a Blue Mage, or your Morpher. Therefore, you might want to bring in a Beastmaster (Along with a Blue Mage) or a Hunter. However, be aware that this monster battle is no pushover, so make sure you also bring in your best units too. The enemies are all generic, except for the Ice Flan. As you might already know, the Flan group of monsters only are affected by magical spells. The most effective one would be the Fire elemental, which one of your Black Mage's should already have. The two Icedrakes differ in abilities. One has the Dragoon tech, Ice Breath, and the other holds Mighty Guard. Both Icedrakes have high attack power, so beware. To start off, you should attack the Lamia, and the Ice Flan with a nice ranged Fire elemental attack. Following up, take out the first Icedrake. The Bomb can be left for last, as it doesn't hold any redeeming qualities. Once you get the Ice Flan and the Icedrakes out of the way, the battle will become another generic monster fight. Easy enough. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] With the monsters defeated, Marche begins to walk around and check out the strange diamond rain. Shortly after the battle, Marche notes that a diamond has fell from the sky, but as soon as he reaches it, it disappears. Strangely enough, maybe the rain does have something to deal with the crystals. But hey, who knows what's going to happen next? Roda Volcano is the next area you are to place on the map. The local Pubs don't have any new rumors, but a new load of missions appear. Most of them are just dispatches, but be sure you capture a few of the areas. You should already know that the more areas you own, the more benefits you get in the Shops and such. Level your clan up to 10-11, and choose the Hot Awakening mission. With that, head over the Roda Volcano and begin your next mission. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Hot Awakening \ |==========================\ Difficulty: Medium Enemies: Ultima Crystal x8 Marche steps into the Roda Volcano area and starts nagging about the heat. Suddenly, a violent earthquake occurs, and a strange black warp appears in the middle. The first thing Marche notices is that there must be a crystal here! The warp blows off, and swallows you into the abyss... As the screen fades back in, you should note the difference in the colors. Instead of the gray, dark area that held the last crystal, this one is colorful, and lively. Butterflies even litter the area. Marche notes as well the butterflies, and how different this area is from the last. Luckily, there doesn't seem to be any Totema guarding this crystal, so Marche walks up to the crystal... But suddenly, a number of Ultima Crystals fade in. Looks like it isn't going to be as easy as we expected. These strange Ultima Crystals are actually the Totema itself. They are very different from the previous Totema, Famfrit, because they are incapable of moving. In fact, they are pretty much inanimate objects made to guard this second crystal. Wait a second, if they can't move, you can use that to your advantage! These Ultima Crystal's only other attack is Logos, an annoying move which not only Charms you, but lowers your Attack and Defense. There is a very easy way to knock these things out. If you use this strategy, the battle becomes that much easier. The idea is to get up right next to the Ultima Crystals, while out of the range of the others. The Ultima Crystal you are standing next to won't use Logos unless you are at least one tile away. Therefore, it will be forced to use its Fight move, which does weak damage. If at every turn, you use this strategy, you should be able to get out of this battle with all your units intact. Be sure you only send one unit to each Ultima Crystal as if you have two against one, it will use Logos. Be sure that when you try to take out one Ultima Crystal, you aren't in the range of another. The first one you destroy will be the hardest as there aren't too many areas safe from the Logos of the other ones. Just don't group your units together and you should be fine. The Ultima Crystals are annoying, but they do have that one weakness. Take advantage of it, and you should win this battle with incredible ease. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] When the mission is complete, and the second Totema and crystal destroyed, Marche wonders which race this Totema represents. With a quick guess of Nu Mou, the crystal shatters, and something happens. Yes, Mewt appears again, and demands to know who is trying to wreck his world. With that, the warp brings Marche back out to the Roda Volcano... Once back, Marche recaps on what the heck just happened. Realizing that he is destroying Mewt's dream by destroying the crystals, he is saddened, not only about his actions, but about his crimes against one of his best friends, Mewt. You will now receive the Totema command for the Nu Mou, which is a Target All MP hurting attack. Place Koringwood on the map wherever you'd like, and check out the Pub for whatever you'd like. Complete a few more missions, and when all is done, buy the Magic Wood information, and haul yourself over to the Koringwood. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Magic Wood \ |=======================\ Difficulty: Slightly Hard Enemies: Archer Sniper Time Mage Black Mage Thief x2 Summoner Deep in the Koringwood, a group of illegal lumberjacks are cutting down some magic wood to sell for a lot of Gil elsewhere. Luckily, Marche walks in within the nick of time to quickly stop them. Time to engage. This time, you are engaging against seven other members, with each being pretty strong in his or her own sense. You are allowed five members including Marche, so the odds are against you this time. However, if you eliminate the biggest threats firsthand, the battle will become much easier. Nevertheless, it is never a bad idea to invest a spot for a White Mage. The first enemies to move will probably be the two Thieves. They aren't the most dangerous, so if you don't have to attack them, just ignore them for the time being. If you are really paranoid about them stealing something, you can always Blind them. The Sniper is fairly dangerous, but doesn't hold too many abilities. Now, the Archer however, should be defeated as soon as possible to avoid her annoying abilities. The remaining units are all magic casters, so they can easily be disabled if you can possibly cast some sort of Silence on them. Since Templar's are good at this kind of stuff, try to have one with you. Once the Time Mage, Summoner, and Black Mage are Silenced, they are completely helpless. I'd suggest keeping these three Silenced, while you focus on the others. Leave the magic casters for last. The main problem here is numbers. However, even though the opponent outnumbers you about 5 to 7, you can improvise. Instead of going gun-ho at every enemy unit, use status ailmenting attacks to maybe keep them at bay for a few turns. Use an Archer or Gunner to Blind your enemies, and the battle is automatically yours. If you can use abilities to your advantage, this battle flows much quicker. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] After defeating these weakling tree-robbers, the local ranger thanks you, and leaves. Marche begins to ponder to himself; a magic forest. Maybe it has something to deal with the next crystal. Whatever the case, the battle is over. Once back at the world map, place the Salikawood symbol on the map. With the Magic Wood mission complete, you can find a lot of other new ones at the Pub. I'd suggest leveling your clan up to around 11-13 as this next mission is going to be tough. With that, choose the mission; Emerald Keep at the Pub, head to Salikawood for another engagement. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Emerald Keep \ |=========================\ Difficulty: Slightly Hard Enemies: Bishop Gunner Alchemist Templar x2 Runeseeker (Babus Trotting slowly into the Salika Keep area, Marche begins his search for this "giant emerald crystal." As he rounds the steps, he begins to wonder if this is one of those "crystals." An unknown voice will call to you ahead. The screen shifts and you will realize that Babus is here as well on Mewt's personal orders. Babus will ask of Marche, someone who means the Prince ill. Marche however, knows who that person is. In an attempt to get his way out of any accusations, Marche immediately tells him not. But his conscience blabbers out his words, speaking that he didn't know this was Mewt's world. With that, Babus realizes all too well. His group prepares for attack, and you should do the same. With the addition to Marche, the game allows you to bring in five more units for battle. The next rounds of battle will be quite difficult, so make sure that the units you send in are powerful enough to take out Babus along with the rest of his group. (If it is required.) Start the battle, and begin. Babus the Runeseeker can provide a bunch of problems. His job is unique as you might already have noticed. His abilities are made up of the R-Ability, Counter and some other abilities. Explode is a heavy damage spell similar to the Sage's Giga Flare; Stillness inflicts Stop status; and Quarter is the same as the Time Mage's ability which takes out 1/4 of a particular unit's health. Along with Babus, which will probably cause you the majority of your problems here, you have two Templars, a Gunner, a Bishop, and an Alchemist. Next to Babus in amount of difficulty would be both of the "Temple Knights." One is armed with Rasp, a MP damaging attack, Cheer which raises Attack statistics, Haste which is self-explanatory, and the R-Ability, Bonecrusher. The other holds Astra which automatically nullifies status ailments, Warcry which lowers Speed, Cheer again; which raises Attack, and the S-Ability, Weapon Atk+. The Bishop is a rather flexible unit capable of dealing damage, curing his own allies, and casting Dispel to get rid of all status enhancements. How much you prioritize him is going to be your call, but remember that as soon as soon as the Bishop is out, your enemy will not be capable of healing without the help of items. The other magic caster, an Alchemist, is much more offensive. You will want to especially watch out for Flare or Frog. Lastly, you will find a Moogle Gunner towards the rear. For the most part, his abilities are simple, but Stopshot can become annoying, especially with Concentrate as a S-Ability. You might find that taking out the Gunner will help an amazing amount. Avoid Stopshot or just Blind him to nullify Concentrate for hopefully, the future majority of the battle. The objective here is to defeat Babus and none other. Therefore, unless of course you are looking to some experience, I'd suggest you put all your emphasis on him. Then again, if you are sure you can't win this battle without first taking out the other units, by all means, treat this battle as a clan war. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] Once Babus is down and out, he will threaten you about hurting the prince. Now that he knows what you look like, there will be no escape. Running from battle, Babus teleports out leaving Marche to pity himself. Cold. Just cold. Once Emerald Keep is finished, place the Nargai Cave symbol on the map. Some new missions are just waiting for you to complete so check out the Pub, maybe capturing a few new areas. Whatever the case, once you are satisfied, choose Pale Company out of the listings and head over to Nargai Cave. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Pale Company \ |=========================\ Difficulty: Hard Enemies: Icedrake Firewyrm Thundrake Totema (Adrammelech) For this next story mission, Marche enters the Nargai Cave in search of this supposed "ghost." A small orb appears in front of Marche, and his reaction is a bit puzzling. "Funny, here I am looking at a ghost. But I don't feel scared at all." As strange as enigmas can become, the ghost begins to move, and Marche follows. With his guard off, Marche is caught by the warp... As the screen fades back in, you find yourself in yet another temple holding probably, another crystal. The ghost has disappeared, but suddenly reappears. The crystal is up ahead, and the Totema makes his way out. Absorbing the ghost, the Totema begins to speak of no one but his masters may approach. Confident, Marche prepares himself for a battle. Adrammalech prepares himself too, and brings in his Dragon fiends. This battle is a major step up from the two other "pushover" Totemas you have fought in the past. If you had thought they were hard, prepare to be obliverated. Bring in five more units (A White Mage or similar would be smart), and begin the battle. Because the enemy Dragons don't have terribly high Speed, you should be able to move first. Luckily, the Dragons here aren't anything you haven't seen already. The only one which might remotely be a new appearance might be the Thundrake. All three of them have elemental Breath attacks for their respectable type (ie. Firewyrm holds Fire Breath; Icedrake holds Ice Breath; Thundrake holds Bolt Breath). This is basically the only A-Abilities those Dragons hold with exception to the Icewyrm who can also cast Mighty Guard on his allies. Geomancy ups Magic Power, and Weapon Atk+ ups Weapon Attack obviously. While the Dragons aren't too tough apart from their Attack power, the Totema himself holds some pretty powerful abilities. Not only is he the coolest looking Totema, hands down, but his Firestream attack can become devastating. Remember Famfrit's Breath of God? Multiply the damage by two, and give it some Fire elemental bonus damage to create an A-Ability to be reckoned with. Lightspeed is a quick attack nullifying R-Ability, and Howl of Rage lowers surrounding unit's Speed. Finally, Soul Sphere hurts your MP so keep your mages safe. The best thing to do would definitely be to inflict a few binding status ailments on the initial Dragons. Disable, Immobilize, and Blind all work wonders to keep them off your back. You shouldn't need to be bothered by the Dragons, as all of your forces should be plopped atop Adrammelech. There really isn't too much to explain here, as all you need is a powerful physical strike to take out this Bangaa Totema as quickly as possible. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] As the battle draws to a close, Adrammelech appears before you and is vaporized into three of those "ghosts" you saw previously. Marche walks up and realizes that crystals must be made up of some incredible energy that had created everything... The crystal breaks, and Marche is warped out back to Nargai Cave. As he makes his way back out, a certain Nu Mou by the name of Babus appears to annoy you again. Quickly suspicious of something, Babus questions you. A thundering voice will echo through the air... Another warp will appear to shimmer, and Mewt appears. The first thing he happens to do is note Babus, but as of now, Mewt is lost. With that, Babus realizes that you are right. He asks what waits of you back home that requires having to pain the prince like that. Marche doesn't have an answer, and Babus leaves... Once back on the world map, the new Totema command for the Bangaa race will appear. Place the new Baguba Port symbol wherever, and head over there. A cutscene will be triggered with Marche following Montblanc into the local Pub. Montblanc notices a certain Moogle, and learn that this other Moogle is his brother, Nono. Your companion is instantly happy to see him, but Nono is depressed. Some bandits have stolen his airship. Luckily, Nono knows exactly who these bandits were. However, getting there and coming out alive is a whole different story. Montblanc will now explain to you the Jagds. In those areas, there are no Laws to abide by as the Judges simply stay away from those areas. While this may sound all dandy to you, there is a problem. Without Judges, once your units are KOed, they stay that way. Place Jagd Dorsa on the map shortly afterwards, and complete a few more missions if you'd like. Once everything is completed, start your first story mission taking place in the Jagds by simply walking into it... [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Jagd Hunt \ |======================\ Difficulty: Hard Enemies: Ninja Hunter Antlion Assassin Toughskin Blue Mage Well, here we are; Jagd Dorsa. You should know already that if anyone gets KOed here and you leave them on the ground, they are dead. With that in mind, prepare yourself for a rather difficult fight against Nono's enemy bandits. Because of the Jagd threat here, you might want to bring in a White Mage to revive in case your units happen to fall. Pheonix Downs work well too. Make sure that the units you send in have high Defense. Paladins or Defenders are perfect fitting for this description. You will not want to be killed here, especially against this hardcore group... Your enemies consist of mostly clan units, but a few monsters as well. Right in front of you at the start are a Ninja who holds Metal Veil, Water Veil, and Double Sword which is allows him to hold two swords in two hands for a double hit; a Blue Mage with Dragon technique, Mighty Guard, Lamia technique, Night, Coeurl technique, Hastebreak, and the Sprite's healing technique of White Wind. Along with that, the Hunter boasts a solid Attack statistics and holds Sonic Boom, Advice, and Aim: Vitals which inflicts a random status ailment on you. An Assassin appears to your left. She can become especially deadly with her specialty A-Abilities. Shadowbind Stops a target in its tracks by pinning shadow to the ground, Last Breath is an automatic KO (Not good for a Jagd. Oh boy.), Aphonia is the standard Silence, and Oblivion Addles the target dis- allowing them to use any A-Abilities. Don't try any arrows at this mean chick unless you want them returned at you. The Antlion and Toughskin aren't too much of threats, but should still be fought with caution. LV3 Def-less lowers Weapon Defense and Magic Resistance to all units with levels divisible by three. Sandstorm is the standard whirlwind attack which Blinds targets. The Toughskin doesn't have any new techniques. Still holding the original Resonate and Matra Magic, you shouldn't have any trouble with it. You should try to kill off the Assassin and Ninja right off the bat. The Assassin has terribly effective A-Abilities, and the Ninja can unleash his hurt with Double Sword. Watch out for Last Breath especially, as it automatically KOs, and if that unit isn't revived, it's basically lights out for that member. The Hunter should be prioritized if you want to avoid random status ailments, and the Blue Mage should also be taken out quickly. This battle is tough, so don't fret if you mess up a few times. After all, this is your first Jagd battle. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] Once the battle is finished, Marche suggests heading back to Nono at Baguba Port. Back on the world map, place the next symbol, Kudik Peaks on the map. Walk over the Baguba Port, and a cutscene will commence. Nono will become ecstatic that you had saved his airship. Marche will offer his reward to help Nono fix his airship, but Nono declines immediately. Convinced, he decides to take it and realizes that he will need a lot of money. Following, he considers turning it into a merchant ship! A pretty good idea for the most part. Back on the world map, you can head to the local Shops to check out Nono's Trade Items tab. Take the items already there. From this point on, by connecting with other GBAs, you can get even more rare items in these slots. Now take a few more missions and whatnot, and choose The Bounty in the end. Engage. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : The Bounty \ |=======================\ Difficulty: Medium Enemies: Sage Paladin Fighter Red Mage Time Mage Black Mage You should know the drill by now. Find the unknown wanderer on the world map. As soon as you enter the battlefield, you will appear before Clan Ox. There's no hostility at first, but one of the grunts notes that this Marche fellow looks incredibly alike to that bounty. But guess what! It's you they are looking for! Of all the possibilities, you just had to accept this mission to actually help Clan Ox find you. Heh, since we aren't about to let ourselves be turned in, we'll fight our way out. Hopefully, you had brought in a healing unit as this clan isn't your ordinary pushover. Ranged attackers work well too. Your enemies consist of a Sage, a Paladin, a Fighter, a Red Mage, a Time Mage, and a Black Mage... phew. From past experience, you might expect the Paladin to be the main figure of difficulty here. Although his Attack power is fairly high, he lacks in abilities with only Saint Cross and Drop Weapon. He is also capable of healing, but barely ever uses that ability. In terms of physical damage, the Fighter might pose a threat. A few standard Fighter abilities as well as a high Weapon Attack, you can't go wrong tackling him out first. Im terms of actual damage, the Black Mage easily cuts that mark. His Magic Power lies in the 200s, and his abilities consist of some standard techniques. Much of the time, one of them will be an "-aga" ability. If you are unfamiliar with that suffix, just know it is the most powerful of the elemental spells a Black Mage can throw at you. Sages normally pose problems, but not this one. Just be thankful this one doesn't hold Giga Flare. Reflex negates all Fight moves as you might already know, so be sure you actually have some other abilities which can damage the Sage. The Red Mage is laughable considering the fact that she doesn't hold Doublecast, and her Magic Power is second-rate. Finally, the Time Mage can pose some threats. You do not want him to cast Quicken on the Fighter right after he damaged your units already. Quick KOs for the enemy. You will want to Disable the Fighter and Paladin quickly. Following, you can choose to Silence everyone else. It would be smart to bring in a utility unit to do all those status ailments, followed by your physical and magical attackers, followed by a healing unit. If you can set up an attack, you should be fine. However, if you just rush in without any strategy, you probably won't last that long. This isn't a difficult battle considering it is a story battle, so you should be fine. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] Well, at least now we know that the Palace has finally put a bounty on your head. Place Jeraw Sands on the map, and check out the missions at the Pub. There is nothing interesting between this transition, so don't look for too much. When ready, choose Golden Clock, and head over to Jeraw Sands for another battle. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Golden Clock \ |=========================\ Difficulty: Medium Enemies: Juggler Alchemist Time Mage Gadgeteer Marche enters the area as he always does and notices Shara coming out from a corner. Ritz also appears right behind you, and the two of you greet. Marche asks Ritz if she know of the bounty on Marche's head; Ritz responds and tells Marche she would never turn him in. They are here instead, for some other business... Ritz runs up and calls the Golden Clock forgers out. Yep, you guessed it, it's another battle alongside Ritz. Judging from past experience, this battle should be fairly easy considering that you have Ritz and Shara on your side, and not to mention that you are up against only four competitors. Bring in three extra units and start the battle. Your enemies consist of an Alchemist, a Juggler, a Time Mage, and a Gadgeteer. The Alchemist holds Meteor which rains a large rock on your units for heavy damage, Poison which... well... Poisons of course, and Toad which turns the target into a Frog. Whee...! Alongside, you see a Juggler with Hurl which throws an item, Firebomb which damages and Berserks, and Ball which Confuses. The Time Mage can become dangerous if you aren't careful. Demi is extremely effective against those with high HP, and Quicken gives a free turn to the unit of choice. Also, Slow and Stop are two annoying status ailments you will want to avoid at all costs unless you like to lose turns. Finally, the Gadgeteer is as unpredictable as it is effective. Red Spring casts Haste on a random side at the flip of a coin (Just hope that's you), Blue Screw casts Dispel on a random side at another flip of a coin (Just hope that isn't you), and Green Gear Poisons either side (Again, just hope that isn't you). Also, Damage > MP will make striking this Gadgeteer down a trifle difficult. Without Ritz or Shara, this battle might have caused some problems. But because both of your allies are at such high levels with effective abilities, you should barely even break a sweat. However, just remember that Ritz and Shara can be KOed, and that's when you better do something, or face defeat. You can be a bit laid back here, but don't let your guard down. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] Afterwards, Marche and Ritz will have a short talk. Marche begins by hoping that Ritz and Shara won't get in trouble for helping Marche here. Shara then states that if they came looking for them, they would simply have to turn young Marche in. Bowing his head, Marche guesses that he should be leaving. Depressed, Marche walks away, and Ritz tells him that she might have to join sides with Marche. Now, even more depressed, Marche wanders off. As Marche leaves, Shara tells Ritz that Marche might be worried about her and asks why she won't help him. Ritz responds coldly asking why. Shara, a bit surprised at the sudden change of heart, states that if what he says is true, his family is in the other world. Why wouldn't Ritz want to go back to see her friends and family? Ritz's answer is strangely enough, her hair; it's no longer white. With that, we learn about a whole new side of Ritz. Scene shift to Mewt's room. Mewt is angered at how the palace had not found Marche yet. He asks to know why they hadn't. Nearly throwing a tamtrum, Mewt demands that they find him soon. Judgemaster Cid states that he's doing all he can. Following, a search of every town will commence. Mewt asks his father to hurry, or the world will break... and suddenly screams for his mother. He grabs Babus with a fiery anger and shakes him about, continuously screaming for Remedi... Place Muscadet on the map, and walk over there to trigger a cutscene which involves Ezel. Marche is surprised to see him here, but Ezel has bad news. Judgemaster Cid is now searching thoroughly through every clan looking for this one boy, Marche. It seems that the palace is now more interested in getting Marche rather than Ezel anymore. The situation is continually growing grim every minute. Complete any random side missions, and get your levels up to around 17-18. When that's done, head back to Muscadet, and trigger a mission involving that bounty on your head. Prepare yourself for a long battle. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Scouring Time \ |==========================\ Difficulty: Slightly Hard Enemies: Sage Gunner Paladin Templar x2 Mog Knight x2 As you enter Muscadet, an engagement is about to occur. Marche and Montblanc appear in the area and witness some Judges and officers of the law bringing in random units for questioning. A particular arguement between a Moogle and a Judge will appear on-screen. The Moogle will ask why he is to be brought in, and Judge responds with that the human they are looking for has been seen with a Moogle. Unable to take this injustice, Marche runs in... The first thing he does is exclaim that he is the one Prince Mewt is looking for. While the Judge is a bit disbelieving, he still brings in units to capture this supposed boy. Units begin to move in, and you will note that you are a bit outnumbered. Bring in three extra units with addition to Marche and Montblanc and begin the battle with the odds of 5 vs. 7 stacked against you. Your enemies consist of some powerful units, but the most dangerous of them all would be the Paladin or the two Templars. If you care to steal anything, you will definitely want the Dragon Mail or Genji Armor. The first enemy unit to move will probably be the enemy Paladin or either Mog Knight, but if you brought in swift units, you should be able to move first for the most part. The two Templars are dangerous with both of them holding the R-Ability, Bonecrusher. In addition, both Templars can terrorize you with Astra, Warcry, Rasp, Haste, and Lifebreak which can deal incredible damage when you knock off a lot of that Templar's HP. The second most dangerous, the Paladin lacks in numbers of abilities, but don't let that get your guard off. Holy Blade does incredible damage, and Drop Weapon can become annoying. Also included are two Mog Knights, a Gunner, and a Sage. The Mog Knights are pretty much standard issue and shouldn't provide much problems with only Mog Attack, Mog Guard, Mog Rush, Mog Lance, Mog Shield, and Mog Aid. By now, you should already have many ways to counter-act these kind of abilities. The Sage is almost laughable with only Drain, Aero, and Bio. Finally, the Gunner isn't dangerous as it hasn't learned Concentrate. At the beginning, begin Disabling and/or Immobilizing the Templar and Bishop immediately. Using status ailments can easily turn the tide of battle with you. Following, you will want to Blind the Gunner. Deal with the opponents as you see fit, but you should try to set up an attack which you know won't fail before you attempt something rash. But the battle isn't over just yet... Difficulty: Hard Enemies: Avatar x8 (Exodus Fruit) Runeseeker (Babus) Afterwards, Judgemaster Cid appears on the scene, and begins to question you. Pretty sure that the boy is the boy, Cid brings him to the prison. There, Babus will run in and confirm that the boy is indeed Marche. Now that they know, Marche demands that Judgemaster Cid let the others go. Cid will ask Marche if he is the one destroying the crystals. Marche confirms, and a seam appears mysteriously. Somehow... The fourth crystal is weak... But you have no access to your clan as of now. Babus and Cid are also in the area, and they aren't about to let you destroy these crystals in which they had so willingly defended. You guessed it, it's another fight with Runeseeker Babus, and this time, he's even more tough. The only opposition you will receive here is from Babus. The Totema is weak, and it can't attack. Since Cid is a Judgemaster (obviously), he will play as Judge to make sure the Laws are enforced. Babus is no laughing matter however. This battle is a one vs. one... Babus vs. Marche. Babus's abilities consist of Explode, a deadly Fire elemental move, Stillness, which Stops Marche right in his tracks, and Demi which cuts off half of your HP right off the bat. In addition, Counter and Weapon Def+ makes him even more of an adversary. The key here is to avoid his first move, and follow-up with a heavy damage move which you should have at this point for a physical character as Marche. Holy Blade or Beatdown would work. However, if you don't have access to them, you might have to pick away at Babus's health continuously and use X-Potions constantly. Defeat Babus and the Fruits to win. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] Once all Fruits are destroyed, the crystal flashes, and disappears. Dumbfounded, both Cid and Babus watch as another flash from the past appears. Mewt appears next to his dad, Cid. It's a re-enactment from the opening cutscene between Mewt and his dad. Realizing what a loser he once was, Cid begins to remember, and the gap that was his past life is filled. Saddened, the Judgemaster decides to leave the palace. Babus will plead the reason why, and Cid allows Marche to leave. Now back on the world map, try to leave Sprohm, and a cutscene will commence. Some locals are gossiping the fact that Cid had finally left the palace. Remedi and Mewt must be in a furious frenzy. Marche stands nearby, and eavesdrops on the conversation. What impact could this sudden change and ceceding will this have on the palace? Scene shift to Mewt's room. Judgemaster Cid is doing his best to stay on Mewt's good side. Obviously, he isn't too happy about his father leaving him in the dark like this. Remedi walks in with a new face. She introduces him as Llednar Twem, and states that he will be Cid's new replacement. With an ominous feeling, the screen shifts back to the world map, and you have the ability to place Uladon Bog anywhere you'd like. Being the fact that you just completed one of the more important missions of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, a handful of new mission are available at the Pub. Check them out and level all units to about 18. Following, select The Big Find, and head over to Uladon Bog for another battle. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : The Big Find \ |=========================\ Difficulty: Slightly Hard Enemies: Thief x2 Bishop x2 Fighter x2 You all know how I start these story battle things right? "As Marche enters the area, he will note... blah blah blah blah." Well, for this battle, Marche won't enter the area at first. Therefore, you won't hear me say that. Instead, the camera brings you to the battlefield and a small conversation between our would be competitors. The Fighters hints something about a kid and late. Perhaps an ambush? A scout Thief walks in and states that their "pot of gold" is here now. Guess who walks in? Why, if it wouldn't be yours truly, Marche. Seeing as he's just been ambushed by a group of six enemies, Marche doesn't appear too surprised. Just a simple, "Huh?" Anyhow, prepare for another battle. Bring in five extra well-rounded units and prepare yourself for battle once again. You know the drill by now, don't you? Look at your enemies and you will notice that their line-up is pretty simple with two Fighters, two Thieves, and two Bishops. Provide that you actually care to know what abilities to avoid, I'll tell you that you really want to watch out for Strikeback. Don't make stupid moves when you are already sure that it will miss, and you will probably get a nice thwack in the head for your imbecile move. The same goes for Bonecrusher, but there are a few ways around it. The opponent's Fighter abilities consist of Rush, Air Render, Far Fist, Wild Swing, Beatdown, and Blitz. If you were wondering if both Fighters hold all those abilities, the answer is luckily, no. They are split up between them. Therefore, if you take out Fighter #1 who has Wild Swing, Far Fist, and Beatdown, you won't have to worry about those moves for the rest of the mission unless Fighter #1 happens to revive magically. The Thieves can provide some problems. Both of them hold Steal: Weapon, which obviously, steals your weapon. You might want to watch out especially. Even worse, Steal: Ability literally "steals" one of your abilities. Therefore, you might find it smart to Disable or Immobilize the Thieves from afar. Apart from that, you won't see too much damage nor annoyance from them. Just don't let your rare weapons get stolen. The remaining opposition consists of two Bishops. Lucky for you, they aren't the most powerful magic casters you might find. Water and Aero do mediocre damage, and Holy might be the largest damage dealer even though it doesn't do THAT high of damage either way. Also, Bishops are capable of using Cura in this mission and Judge steals your JP. Concern yourself with the Thieves at first. Once the chances of getting weapons stolen is at 0% (In short, just KO both Thieves), you can focus on the Fighters which are probably attacking your units like mad at that point. The Bishops won't provide too much problem, so you might want to leave them for last unless you have a masterful plan of your own. Defeat all enemies and win the mission. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] Afterwards, Marche and Montblanc will mope around. Marche wonders how they know he was going to possibly be there. There must be some sort of inner ear which is watching his every move. Suddenly, Marche notes something out of the back of his eye. Was someone just spying on him right there? Only time will tell... Place Gotor Sands on the map and complete a few more side missions. Level up your party to around 18-19. More missions can be found at the Pub. Be sure that you complete the mission, Exploration, to get Jagd Ahli on the world map. When ready, select Desert Patrol and begin your next mission in the Gotor Sands area. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Desert Patrol \ |==========================\ Difficulty: Medium Enemies: Bishop Dragoon Defender Gladiator White Monk Soldier x2 As you enter Gotor Sands for the Desert Patrol mission, Marche notices a certain person... that looks a bit familiar. Walking a bit closer, he realizes that it's Doned. Marche is instantly happy to see his brother, but Doned remains silent, and runs away. Marche follows and to his surprise, sees Doned talking with another group. But even as dumbfounded as he might be, Marche realized that his brother had just turned him in for a bounty. Just what is going on? The palace still wants your head, and as obvious, this enemy clan has come to challenge you. They were notified of your whereabouts by a certain someone. There's nothing else to do but to fight our way out of this trap. Bring in six units to go against this enemy group and start the battle. Your foe this time is made up of Bangaa and Humans. You will probably notice, that with exception to the Bishop, your enemies are all physical. Try to bring in some magic-casting units that have moderate Weapon Defense like Morphers or Sages to counteract their Weapon Attacks, and work upon their weaker Magic Resistance. The White Monk in the front has a bunch of techniques up his alley. Whirlwind damages surrounding units, Air Render is a ranged attack, Earth Render deals damage to ALL units in front of him, and Far Fist deals ranged splash-damage. Luckily, his Weapon Attack is fairly low so don't expect too much from a simple Fight move. Behind him is a Gladiator holding the elemental "Spellblade" techniques which include Fire Sword, Bolt Sword, and Ice Sword. They should be pretty self-explanatory. Two Soldiers make up the Humans of this enemy group. The one closer to you at the start holds a few standard "Break" attacks including Powerbreak, Mindbreak, and Magicbreak. Provoke Berserks your units so be careful. The other Soldier is less of a threat. Luckily, he only can use Powerbreak, Mindbreak, and Speedbreak. Mug deals damage but steals Gil at the same time. However, that shouldn't be too much of a problem to you. Right smackdab in the center is the Defender. Although his Weapon Attack and Defense can be intimidating, his abilities are nothing to be afraid of. Tremor pushes back all surrounding units, Drop Weapon drops your units' weapons, and Mow Down damages all surrounding units, but causes the Defender to lose all his Evade for the entire next turn. The Dragoon has even higher Weapon Attack and his abilities can become particularly exasperating. Lancet drains HP, Fire and Bolt Breath are obvious. The magic-casting unit of this battle is the Bishop in the front. Luckily, he doesn't pose much of a threat compared to the other units. Water is really the only damaging spell he holds. Dispel clears all status enhancements and Break inflicts Petrify on your units. Keep in careful mind that once the Bishop is defeated, your opponent will have no means of healing apart from having to use items. I always prefer to take out the magic-caster, seeing as once he's down and out, the battle will move much quicker. Therefore, your opponent must rely on physical strength to overcome you. Since for the most part, Weapon Defense is higher than Magic Resistance for this enemy group, magic spells work wonders. Watch out for the Bishop's Return Magic however. As you progress through the battle, it will become easier and easier until you win. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] I bet none of you would have ever expected Marche's own brother to turn on him like that. Nevertheless, Marche fails to really gain any legitimate information out of the Bangaa afterwards. At the world map, place Delia Dunes on a tile. Complete the side missions which present themself if you'd like, and select the next story mission, Quiet Sands. Be sure to complete the missions: Wyrms Awaken, Ruby Red, and A Dragon's Aid to unlock the Ozmonfield symbol. Then head over to Delia Dunes for the fifth and final crystal battle. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Quiet Sands \ |========================\ Difficulty: Medium Enemies: Templar x2 Titania x2 Biskmatar (Llednar) The Delia Dunes have stopped barking. Enter the area and Marche will complain about the lack of sound. As he is about to walk out however, a certain Llednar happens to waltz in. Marche has never seen this monster before so he is a bit confused. With a simple, yet powerful order, Llednar tells Marche to get out of here. Just before Llednar pushes him out, a seam opens... Yes, here it is. The fifth and final crystal is just up ahead. The Llednar dude is nowhere in sight however. Quietly, Marche disregards him and continues. Just up ahead, to Marche's great dismay, is the strange man again. With another order, Llednar orders you to go no further. With a final blow, Llednar attempts to put Marche in his place... Suddenly, a commanding voice streaks through the air. Judgemaster Cid has just appeared in the nick of time to stop Llednar and his deadly intentions. With an antilaw, the Judgemaster places a law on Llednar's most powerful attack, Omega. Disabled, Llednar continues to fight, and Marche chooses to stay. Prepare yourself... against Biskmatar Llednar. While Llednar summons two Templars and two Titanias, you should send in five units of your own. The Templars are both formidable opponents. With heavy Weapon Attack, they can easily chop through your units like a butter knife through butter. If you bring in any Mages, watch out for Silence, and their MP damaging attacks, Soul Sphere and Rasp. Astra is a special status enhancement that automatically nullifies the first status ailment against that unit. Lifebreak deals lost HP in damage, and Warcry lowers Speed of all surrounding units. The two Titanias aren't as dangerous in terms of Weapon Attack, but LV?D Holy will still pose problems. If the day of month matches your unit's level, prepare for some heavy Holy damage against you. Angel Whisper both heals HP and casts Auto-Life on one of their allies. The last of the units, Llednar himself, is no pushover. He holds incredible Weapon Attack. Even without Omega, he is a major problem. First off, his lineup of abilities is very deadly. Abyss acts like a Sage's Bio, damaging and Poisoning at the same time. Life Render deals damage and Dooms Llednar's targets. Heart Render deals MP damage. Ripcircle acts by damaging all surrounding units. And finally, Furycircle deals damage to all surrounding units as well as knocking them back. However, if you attempt to damage Llednar, you will find that no matter what you use, Llednar cannot be killed. Therefore, it is impossible to defeat the boss. Luckily, there is a way to win out. Wait out the battle by defeating Llednar's allies, and Cid will eventually banish Llednar with a Red Card. With that freak gone, Marche may continue. To his great dismay however, the Totema itself still awaits. Difficulty: Hard Enemies: Vampire x4 Totema (Mateus) With Llednar defeated for the time being, the final crystal awaits. As a precaution, Judgemaster Cid asks if Marche would like to leave. Knowing his destiny, Marche rightfully declines. Leading him into the final room, Cid states that the final crystal is here. The Totema appears as expected, the Totema of the Humans. Mateus will suddenly turn into Ritz, then Doned, then Mewt, and then Marche himself. Knowing that this is just a mind-trick, Marche disregards it. The fight will begin. The four figures will turn into four Vampires. Mateus herself appears in the center. Seeing as this is the toughest of the Totemas, take necessary precautions with the units you choose to send in. I would strongly suggest a White Mage against the Vampires and very strong physical attackers. Mateus has summoned four Vampires to help her out. They are very dangerous and can prove quite a bit of exasperation. Although the abilities vary from Vampire to Vampire, you will especially want to watch out for LV? S-Flare which deals damage to all units with the same one's digit as them. Zombify turns your allies into Zombies, and Miasma inflicts damage and possible Poison status. Mateus herself is quite a difficulty. With HP in the 400s, she obviously won't be too easy to take down. Weapon Attack is actually in 400s as well! With a single strike, she can easily KO weaker units. Spellbind is an ability that damages and Slows. Breath of God is a heavy damage radius attack. Star Cross is the same as the Illusionist ability damaging all units with Holy damage. Thundaga is fairly self-explanatory. Before actually sending in your units, I would suggest using a White Mage to cast Protect and Shell on them. Therefore, they have a higher chance of surviving Mateus' damaging attacks. If you really want to win, I would suggest bypassing the Vampires altogether. Blind them or Disable them to make them useless and begin going gun-ho at Mateus. There really is no trick. To defeat this Totema, you are going to need to be a bit more diligent. Good luck. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] With Mateus defeated, the crystal will be destroyed. Ecstatic, Marche realizes that the world should now go back the way it was! However, nothing is happening. Marche questions the problem, and Cid states that it was the last of them. Why are we still here? A voice booms through the air stating that this world is still wanted. With that, Queen Remedi appears: "Even without the world-threads binding it... As long as this world is wanted, it will exist." Marche realizes that Queen Remedi is Mewt's mother... If Mewt is to want this world to exist, the world will stay the way it is. If Mewt continues to want this world to stay, the world will remain the way it is. Marche realizes that he himself also wants this world to stay. With those strong words, she disappears... leaving Marche with a new objective. He has to talk to Mewt! Back on the world map, haul yourself over to any Pub and listen in on a conversation. It's Audience Day as Montblanc states. People bring gifts to the palace, and can easily make connections. Marche figures out a new plan. To carry it out however, he is going to need the help of Montblanc's brother, Nono. Place the Materiwood symbol on the map. Complete side missions and level everyone up to 21-23. When ready, select Materite Now! and head over to the Materiwood for the next mission. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Materite Now! \ |==========================\ Difficulty: Slightly Hard Enemies: Sniper Summoner Assassin Red Mage White Mage Elementalist Marche has successfully located a bit of Materite in the Materiwood. As so far, no opposition has been encountered so from here on, it's smooth sailing. However, from his rear, Marche notices a clan of Viera bandits. How could they have known he was here? The streetear of course was Doned. Nothing we can do now but engage. Six units should be brought in. You might want to work for units that are carrying items making them immune to status ailments; you should especially prioritize instant KO. The Assassin is bound to give you a few problems with that. Shadowbind and Last Breath are the two that you should avoid as best as possible. Shadowbind Stops units right in their tracks and Last Breath deals an instant KO. That is not something you want happening. The ranged Sniper will also provide a bunch of problems. Aim: Armor, Aim: Weapon, and Aim: Wallet destroys the item that they obviously shoot at. Once a weapon is destroyed, it cannot be used again which makes Aim: Weapon especially annoying if your unit is carrying a rare weapon. If you are going to knock the Sniper into critical HP, be sure that you avoid Doom Archer which deals the lost HP into offensive damage. The move also affects MP. Either KO her within one turn or Disable her one way or another. The rest of this Viera group consists of magic-casters. The Elementalist, capable of using Spirit Magic, will be a major problem for you. Unless you use a Status law card, prepare to fall to her various "Elemental damage + Status ailment" spells. Shining Air deals Wind damage and Blind at the same time. Evil Gaze deals Dark damage and can Confuse. Heavy Dust is a Earth spell that Immobilizes and finally, Sliprain deals Water elemental damage and Slows targets down. Behind her, the Red Mage reigns supreme as the Doublecasting maniac. Doublecast allows her to send out two spells in one, single turn. However, you can rid her of that ability by simply stealing her Madu (Rapier). Because she hasn't mastered Doublecast, stealing her weapon will prevent her from using an unmastered ability. Even with Doublecast however, the Red Mage still won't pose much of a threat with Fire, Thunder, Sleep, and Poison. KO her whichever way you choose. The Viera Summoner is your standard, generic enemy. Remember that Summon spells have a much larger radius of effect than normal spells. All spells will affect units two tiles out horizontally and vertically and one tile diagonally on each corner. If you group your units together, your Summoner will wreak havoc. Make sure she doesn't take the best of you. Madeen, dealing heavy Holy damage, will be very hard to recover from. And finally, the White Mage has four simple yet powerful spells. Curaga cures HP, Esuna heals status, Auto-Life revives to full HP, and Shell protects from harmful magic spells. The way you choose to tackle this battle is your choice. I always like to take down the Assassin first followed by the White Mage. Without the White Mage, your enemy team is incapable of reviving fallen allies as well as becoming very lacking in the ability to heal. The Assassin should be taken down early just to avoid her dark techniques. As a possible strategy, group all your enemies by the cliff in the northwest corner and push them off for heavy damage and of course, lots of laughs. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] Defeating Doned's plan, Marche calls out to his brother. Appearing from behind, Marche's brother gives him a nice thwack on the head. Instead of anger, Marche is instantly happy to see him. However, Doned did take the Materite from him... with a quick lunge, he chucks it toward making it explode into pieces. Surprised at this treason, Marche demands to know what has gotten into his brother. Doned apparently, has very similar intentions to Ritz. He wants this world to stay too... There's nothing left for him in the other world. The thought of being left with nothing... Doned runs off, and Marche bows his head. Giving a final subtle statement, Marche speaks of one thing Doned has that Marche had always wanted... Back on the world map, Bervenia Palace will automatically place itself on the world map. More missions can be found at the Pubs, however, stepping into Bervenia Palace will automatically trigger the next mission, Present Day. When you feel ready for the next mission (It's sort of a toughie), step into the capital of Ivalice and engage. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Present Day \ |========================\ Difficulty: Slightly Hard Enemies: Templar Alchemist Mog Knight Gladiator x2 Despite the "run-in" with Doned, Marche and Montblanc were still able to get Nono to make them a legitimate gift in time for Present Day. At the start, Montblanc will comfort Marche on the fact that the palace won't even recognize him. Walking a bit forward, the two of them enter the palace... Nono's gift, the "Lugaborg" is sure to get them in. In the palace waiting room, Marche begins to complain about the waiting time. Everyone else has already gone. Montblanc responds suggesting that something may be... wrong? If there was some kind of trouble, then the two of them were in deep waters indeed. Behind them, a door opened and a group of palace guards enter. It seems that they've figured out who you are. A tip from a concerned citizen was their lead; the concerned citizen obviously being Doned. This battle may be a bit problematic because of the tiny size of the arena (Heck, we are fighting in the palace waiting room). Luckily, the opposition has the same problem as well. If you bring in a Summoner, you can probably expect your enemies to be grouped up together. When they do just that, give them a full-powered taste of Madeen or Ifrit. Because of the lack of space, magic units would do very well. However, be sure to not group up your units either or you might be forced to make sacrifices. Leading the offensive, the Bangaa Templar is nightmarishly strong. He excels at Weapon Attack and Weapon Defense so you might want to Disable him before he gets too far. Because of Bonecrusher which counter-attacks with an added 1.5x to Weapon Attack, avoid close-range attacks. Ability-wise, Astra nullifies the first status ailment against an unit, Warcry lowers Speed of surrounding units, Rasp deals MP damage, and Haste speeds an unit up. The two Gladiators can be dealt with much quicker, but their Weapon Attack are really high. The elemental "Spellblade" attacks will be sure to pose some problems for your units. The standard Rush, Beatdown, and Blitz abilities make their appearance as well. Do take precautions when using the Fight move at close range. The Reaction Ability, Strikeback, will nullify the incoming attack at weapon range as well as following up with an attack of their own. With Weapon Attack in the 340s, you will by all means want to avoid that. The only Moogle here plays his role as a Mog Knight. Mog Attack pushes units back one tile while damaging, Mog Lance is a ranged attack, Mog Rush is a generic high-powered and low-accuracy attack, Mog Shield helps defend by casting Protect and Shell on himself, and Mog Aid heals HP. However, although Mog Knights are normally dangerous, the lack of Reaction Ability or Ultima Charge makes this Moogle a bit less threatening. Nonetheless, take necessary precautions and watch it. The only magic-caster plays an Alchemist jobset. You will want to especially watch out for Death, which will deal an instant KO. However, if you notice that Death has not been mastered yet, know that if the Life Crosier is stolen, the enemy Alchemist will have no access to that move. Use that to your advantage. Other abilities consist of Flare which deals heavy damage, Poison which of course, Poisons, and Toad which inflicts Frog status on an enemy unit. As stated before, magic-casters or radius-damage attacks work very well in such a small arena. The Templar will most likely play the battle by casting Haste on his allies. The three Bangaas are the ones you want to watch out for. All three have very high Weapon Attack which can be devastating to the magic unit lacking in Weapon Defense. Once those three are out of the way however, the remaining portion of the battle is a cakewalk. Difficulty: Hard Enemies: Biskmatar (Llednar) With the inital opposition defeated, more guards begin to run in. By now, it seems as if getting through would be impossible. Suddenly, Mewt's Nu Mou servant, Babus, appears. Instead of going against you however, Babus Stops the guards right in their tracks. Confused by this sudden change of position, Marche asks Babus why he's helping him. Responding, the Nu Mou states that he wishes to know more about what is going on with these "worlds." Babus soon warps you to the Prince's throne room. Mewt is pacing along. Babus brings Marche up, and Mewt is instantly angry to see him. Knowing he hasn't got much time, Marche tries to reason with Mewt as quickly as possible. Mewt realizes that even Babus is now against him. Before Mewt could be changed, Remedi warps in to comfort him. However, Mewt is taken away... and Marche is left with nothing... To add insult to injury, Llednar has been summoned to rid the palace of this presense. Babus agrees to help, but Marche tells him to try to trace where Mewt and the Queen had gone. However, as of now, Marche must engage with Llednar... You should notice that the barrier protecting Llednar from damage is still active. Therefore, the objective is not to win, but to SURVIVE. The amount of turns required is five, but that won't be easy. The main difficulty with this mission is the fact that Llednar will most likely take the first turn. However, if you leveled up Marche as a Thief or a Ninja, you might prevail and take the first turn. If you aren't faster, then pray that Llednar doesn't use Omega. If he lands that, the battle is already over. Use your turns wisely by running away from Llednar every single turn. In order for Llednar to use Omega, he has to be right next to you. Therefore, I recommend that for your first turn (If you survived), you run in the opposite direction. Therefore, Biskmatar Llednar will be forced to use Abyss which Poisons and damages. However, that is easily solved with Potions. Spend five turns running away from Llednar if you want to win. In the end, the Judgemaster will make his presense, and the battle is over... [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] Llednar, knowing the danger that Judgemaster Cid poses, instantly warps out. The first question that the Judgemaster asks of Marche is the location of Mewt. Marche then tells Cid what has happened over the course of the last hour. However, Marche has one question of his own. Who is Llednar? "He's Mewt." Surprised at this strange answer, Marche is instantly stupefied. Judgemaster Cid further reinforces it by stating that Llednar is basically an aspect of Mewt. Although Mewt himself has never shown such a violent personality, Llednar proves that Mewt, by alls means, is capable. Llednar is like the Totemas; he was designed for the sole purpose to protect Mewt and the crystals that bind the world together... Cid agrees to help Babus and disembark in search of Mewt. Marche agrees to these terms, and decides that he should talk to Ritz and Doned. He feels that before he attempts to persuade Mewt, he must first persuade his friend and brother. Judgemaster Cid takes his leave, and Marche is left to complete his tasks. Once the mission is complete and over with, place Tubola Cave on the world map. Many sub-missions are making their first appearance at the Pubs. Whether you choose to deal with them or not, make sure that you select Hidden Vein and continue with your quest. Also, to unlock Jagd Helje, complete Mission #64 Den of Evil. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Hidden Vein \ |========================\ Difficulty: Medium Enemies: Sage Juggler Animist Blue Mage Mog Knight White Monk Now that we're out mythril hunting, Doned will be sure to try to interfere again. Marche walks into the Tubola Cave area pretending to be searching for mythril. A voice splits the area. "Stop! Thief!" Marche is dumbfounded. The enemy group states that Marche is stealing their mythril. Apparently, Doned has turned him in... again! Surrounded, Marche has no other options but to engage. When you bring in your units, be sure that you position them so they can take attacks from both sides. With three units on one side and three units on the other, your position is flanked. The first of your opponents to move would most likely be the Moogle Juggler. The Knife that he holds is one of the strongest in this game. You can easily disable his Weapon Attack by simply stealing it. Watch out for Dagger which damages and Disables. Firebomb can be annoying as it Berserks and damages while Smile automatically gives one of allies the next turn. The Sage will become a pit of many of your problems. Giga Flare is one of the most powerful magic spells a Nu Mou has to offer. This move is also second to Ultima Blow in terms of damage. If you group your units together, Giga Flare can affect all of them as it is capable of dealing damage to multiple units. The last unit on the east side is a Mog Knight. Mog Guard is used to guard himself. Mog Rush deals heavy damage at the cost of lowered accuracy, Mog Shield automatically nullifies one status ailment, Mog Peek detects hidden items, and Mog Aid heals HP and status. A Bangaa White Monk leads an offensive to the west. Earth Render can damage all units directly in front of that unit. It can be devastating if you don't watch your unit placement. The White Monk is also capable of reviving fallen allies with Revive. Next on the list is the Moogle Animist. You should avoid Tail Wag, a Charming move, and Friend, a completely wildcard ability with unpredictable results. Finally, the Blue Mage finishes off the set with various Blue Magic techniques. Twister cuts off 1/2 HP right off the bat. Bad Breath will deal multiple status ailments. Roulette KOs a random unit on the field. And White Wind will heal the amount of HP he has remaining. This battle isn't that tough. The only real problematic units would be the Sage or the Blue Mage. The latter can wreak havoc with Bad Breath and Roulette. However, ban Color Magic with a law card and his abilities go down the drain. Likewise, ban Skills and the Sage is disabled in terms of using his Sagacity Skill. Overall, this story mission is nothing tough. What is soon to come however, will be. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] Once the enemy force is defeated, Marche will call out to Doned. Walking in, Marche's little brother realizes that this was basically a trick to get Doned out of hiding. Still reluctant to go come, Doned refuses to go home. However, Marche states to Doned that he had always had the attention. As a single mother, Marche was always swept to the side while Doned received all that he wanted. Realizing his error, Doned sadly apologizes and agrees to help Marche change back the world... Now back on the world map, the Deti Plains symbol can be placed anywhere to your liking. Find yourself a Pub to walk into and a cutscene will commence. Doned has agreed to take your side. As of now, he is helping you out with your mission. As they discuss possibilities, a Bangaa walks in with a message to Marche. It's from Judgemaster Cid. Apparently, Babus and Cid have discovered Mewt's location. The Queen and the Prince are both hiding out in Ambervale. With one step done, Cid asks of you to meet him on the Deti Plains. Once you walk into the Deti Plains area, the next battle will automatically begin. However, before you do that, I'd suggest completing side missions and leveling up your clan to ready yourselves for the next mission and the ultimate final battle which is soon to come. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : To Ambervale \ |=========================\ Difficulty: Medium Enemies: Coeurl Lilith Thundrake Jawbreaker Big Malboro On our way to the Deti Plains, Marche comes across a group of monsters in his path. What comes next should be drilled in your head by now. Bring in another five units in addition to Marche himself. Before we can find Judgemaster Cid, we are going to have to take care of this monster threat first. Cid hasn't arrived yet so take your time. As a story mission, you can already expect these monsters to be a bit tougher than some normal engagement. The nearest target, a Coeurl stands valiantly. Blaster is his only technique, but each casting will Petrify an unit. Being a ranged ability, keeping your units away won't always help. Therefore, I'd suggest taking it down before a chance to use it is taken. Even so, its Weapon Attack power is fairly high. Ridding the battlefield of the Coeurl first will make advancing through the arena much easier as there won't be any opposition blocking the front-lower area. I normally get stuck up at bottom where the waterfall hits the edge of the map. Usually, if you take down the Coeurl, you can avoid any pre-battle traffic jams. However, you might still find that the Jawbreaker attempts to impede your path very often. If any of your units have levels divisible by three or five, watch out for LV3 Def-less and LV5 Death. The latter provides instant death to all units with levels divisible by five and LV3 Def-less lowers the Defense and Resistance of all units with levels divisible by three. Even worse, they both have a 100% chance of hitting if the levels pertain correctly. By this point, you should be nearing the west side of the arena and beginning to climb the steps up to the higher level. The Big Malboro will be a nuisance with Bad Breath. In short, it is capable of inflicting a large number of status ailments on you with one cast. Soundwave is less of a problem as it only Dispels any status enhancements. Further up, a Lilith reigns supreme. Avoid being caught at distances with Twister. Poison Frog inflicts Poison and Frog status while Kiss inflicts Doom and Charm. I always prefer to take this battle on in order. The monsters aren't too smart and usually stick to their area. If you take out the monsters as they come, the battle will flow through. Unless you are wearing Galmia Shoes (In which you can just jump up the cliff), you will need to transcend through the path anyway. You should end at the Thundrake. If you have retained most of your units while pushing through, it will fall easily despite holding Bolt Breath and Geomancy. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] Arriving right after the battle, Cid appears. Marche asks Cid if he has met Mewt and the Queen yet. The Judgemaster shakes his head and asks Marche a favor. What he needs is some amber from Siena Gorge. Cid has begun to plot with Ezel. Marche is obviously surprised at the fact that a Judgemaster would go to such lengths as creating an antilaw. Marche agrees to the objective and the two of them part again. ... As they both walk off in separate directions, a certain pink-haired girl appears. What could her intentions possibly be? Siena Gorge must now be placed on the map. A number of new missions are now available at the Pub. Complete them to whatever extent you'd like. If you step into Siena Gorge, you will automatically engage in battle so make sure you are completely ready. For starters, I'd recommend leveling up all your units to at least 26-27. When ready, head into Siena Gorge. [-----------------------------------------------------------------------------] | Mission : Over The Hill \ |==========================\ Difficulty: Hard Enemies: Fencer Summoner Assassin Elementalist Sniper (Shara) Red Mage (Ritz) Our last stop before we head off to Ambervale is Siena Gorge. There, we are to find some amber for Judgemaster Cid to create the antilaw he needs. Entering the Siena Gorge, a pink-haired girl stands valiantly at the top of a large pass. Laughing for a second, Ritz is positioned with her clan. Next to her is Shara. With a sense of confidence, Ritz states that when Marche might be engaging them, it just seems kind of funny. A surprising turn of events, huh? Ritz had never wanted to go back home, so this battle was sure to come eventually. Marche enters and realizes what is about to commence. For the next engagement, they are no longer aquaintenences. Marche is going over that hill. Ritz however, will use all her power to stop that. Knowing that she won't give up now, Marche prepares to engage. Bring in five additional units and the epic battle between Marche and Ritz will begin. We had never battled Ritz and her clan before, so this might be something new. Ritz's clan consists of Viera only. She does well with a good balance between magic and physical units. You should do the same. At the start of the battle, climb up the hill to meet Clan Ritz at the edge. Try not to move further onto the wooden bridge as traffic jams will be sure to start there. Instead, stay back and let Ritz come to you. Now that you are in a good position to start your offensive from, begin to build up your units and prepare to attack. The first of Clan Ritz to most likely move would be the Assassin. With 200 points in Speed, she can move pretty fast. Even so, the Ninja Tabi allows her to move 6 tiles which can become pretty threatening. Do not let her ge