Episode 3: A Future Approaching Despair

[-] Sneak into the palace

Your team will only consist of Natsu, Wendy, and Mirajane. Leave the inn and follow the fixed path where there are no guards blocking the way. The green guards will only serve as obstacles while the yellow-striped guards can be fought and knocked out. Continue following the path until you reach the mission marker, which will take you to the castle interior.

[-] Save Lucy

Once inside, loot the Miracle Cure from the chest on the left side. Enter the door ahead to reach the dungeon where Lucy is kept. There are several rooms here with guards. Some of the rooms have chests but you can’t collect them yet until you meet Lucy. Follow the straightforward path until you reach the cells to the north.

After talking to Lucy, you’ll need to recover Lucy’s celestial keys. After the scene, the guards in the individual rooms will now move around. You’re not required to fight them so you can just circle around them to loot the chests in some of the rooms. Pick up the Soothing Perfume on the second room from the prison cells.

Lucy’s keys are found in the corner room to the southeast. Interact with the gathering spot in front of the fireplace to get the keys. Open the chest beside the room where you found the keys to get a Lacrima Shard. Next, get a Hidden Amulet from the chest in the middle room. Finally return the keys to Lucy to free her and update your mission objective.

[-] Find Princess Hisui

Head towards the mission marker for some cutscenes. After the scenes, defeat the guards, and once you’re in control again, use the nearby recovery point to fully heal your party’s HP/MP. Save your game if you haven’t done so yet, then head to the mission marker again for another cutscene and a boss battle.

Boss	Weaknesses	Resistances
Opener of Gates, Rogue (Future)	None	Light, Dark

Natsu and Mira will team up against future Rogue. This boss is pretty strong but don’t worry, even if there’s only two of you without any support character for buffs and healing, Mira will carry you with her outstanding damage output. As Natsu, just do your thing and attack normally. Execute follow-up prompts and continue your attacks until Rogue is defeated.

[-] Escape the castle

After the cutscenes, Jellal and Ultear will join your party as Guests. You can use the recovery point behind to replenish your party’s health. The guards here will pursue you without limitations so you may be forced in some battles. You can also opt to escape them if you don’t want to deal with them at all. After escaping the dungeon, ignore the large group of guards by the main hall and head straight to the exit to conclude the episode.