P14A: Oerba AF300

P14A: Oerba AF300

When you select the Gate in the Historica Crux and listen to the description from the Datalog you should pick up on the note that your Moogle has a particular concern for this region and world.  Upon your arrival Serah has a rather long conversation with Moogle -- and then we are thrust into a world that is presently in a dust storm. 

There is an Anomaly Pillar to the southeast of the Gate we arrived through, and that is a good place for us to begin our adventures in Oerba!

We have completed this sort of puzzle before -- it was the first type that we faced in the game -- though this one is not quite as orderly in how you complete it as the previous ones.  Once you are shown the outline you have to connect the lines by holding 'A' and moving from like-color to like-color but in this case the process is not linear -- you will not simply start at one end and work your way through the design, as it requires a more disjointed approach.

There are two stages to this puzzle, and completing then rewards you with 500 CP and the Sparkling Runestone Fragment.  When you emerge from the puzzle Moogle points out that the world has not changed...

Heading down the ramp to the north towards the beach takes you to the next Anomaly Pillar -- and when you enter it you get a brief CS with Moogle -- who smells something it remembers... 

The Mystery of the Puzzles of Oerba AF300

This set of puzzles is the disappearing tiles one which we are also familiar with -- all that we need to do is plan out our route to pick up the crystals without losing the path.  Two very basic stages that, when resolved awards us with 500 CP and the Astonishing Limestone Fragment.

Now continue to the north and head onto the beach and, as you work your way along Moogle will react to a hidden object -- use Mooglehunt to reveal the next Anomaly Pillar.  When you enter you will find another disappearing tiles puzzle.

This one is a lot harder because the crystals move around -- you may need to watch the video to understand the process -- basically it is more of a strategic waiting game mixed with slower more planned-out movements.  Completing the puzzle rewards you with 500 CP and the Bubbly Stone Fragment.

Tossing Moogle out onto the water... Err... Sand?  Whatever -- will score you the Sahagin Hide Backpack Adornment so you may as well do that!  Now head back up the stairs and follow the path along to the west to the end of the path where Moogle again reacts and, when you use Mooglehunt you reveal another hidden Anomaly Pillar.

Look for the floating Treasure Chest in the air ahead as you progress with the Flight Gate Seal and be sure to grab that with your Mog.

This time it is the Clock Face type (which I secretly like a lot more than the other ones because it lets me take advantage of two really odd aspects of my biological makeup -- you see I think in pictures, not in words and I can do math in my head which made diffy-q and trig really easy for me).

I have to admit that this one was a bit more challenging -- I got the first one bang-on but the second took two tries...  The reward is 500 CP and the Lovely Starstone Fragment.  Nice one!

Head up the stairs and you will find the next Anomaly Pillar at the very top on the right, where we find another Clock Face puzzle!  This one though is a bit simpler -- actually it is dead easy really -- so getting the 500 CP and Spinning Moonstone Fragment is a snap!

From here head east to the next Pillar which you can easily see as you approach -- this is a pattern one and you know how these work -- this one though is a four-stage puzzle and the complexity is a bit higher but you should still have no trouble with it.  Easey Peasy!  The pay-off is 500 CP and the Dewey Bloodstone Fragment.

At the main avenue look over the edge to the north to spot another floating Treasure Chest -- this one has the How Things Were Gate Seal in it -- Moogle Toss to get that now.

From here head south down the main avenue to the intersection where you find the next Pillar and a Gate!  Entering this Anomaly Pillar triggers a CS with Moogle again -- and then we land on another Clock Face puzzle.  I have to admit that this one was really hard -- the presence of so many 4's makes it difficult to plan out...  But getting this one resolved pays off in 500 CP and the Scorching Firestone Fragment as well as unsealing the Gate behind the Anomaly.

The Clock Puzzles get Tougher

Use your Wild Artifact on the Gate to open the way to Oerba AF400 -- and then immediately return to Oerba AF300.

Now head up the avenue to where you can jump down to the plaza on the other side and jump, heading to the Anomaly Pillar there to enter the Shape Puzzle -- you know the drill for this -- at least you do tor the first four stages...  I have to warn you the 5th and last stage for this puzzle is a very frustrating one, because you have to hit each of the links perfectly.  If you have to backtrack on it you will fail, and really if we are honest here, you are probably going to fail this one a lot...  

If there is any example of grief code in the game this would be it -- and it is odd that they did this considering how HUGE this game is and considering the obvious nasty bit of grief that the Casino represents.  You would think that this game would not need another time-sink, and yet here it is...

Resolving this Anomaly gains you 500 CP and the Thrilling Milestone Fragment, and unlocks and reveals another Anomaly Pillar that is at the end of the main avenue above.

Head to the corner and take the walkway around the building and down to the area below, up the ramp to the main avenue and then follow that to the end for the last Anomaly Pillar!

When you enter Moogle tells you a story about this place and what she finally remembers -- and then you find yourself on another Shape Puzzle.  This one is a bit more complex than the previous shapes but the 5th Stage of this one is as bad as the previous one...  So be prepared to not make mistakes and try not to backtrack as you complete it and you will find that works as the best strategy...

Resolving this Anomaly gains you 500 CP and the Mossy Rosetta Stone Fragment!  You are then informed that a labyrinth has appeared in a different time -- that is in Oerba AF400 actually, the time for the Gate we just unlocked a while ago...  But before we head there you may want to do some grinding here -- especially if you somehow did not get a White Chocobo...

-- Grinding Opportunities --

If you want to grind a little in this area  you can acquire the following loot items:

Chocobo Plume (Component)
Cie'th Tear (Component)
Holy Water (Consumable)
Mana Sliver (Material)
Millerite (Component)
Painkiller (Consumable)
Potent Chip (Material)
Potent Engine (Material)
Power Sliver (Material)

You can also acquire the Monster Crystals for:

Bloodfang Bass (lizard-like) Organic / Ravager
White Chocobo (chocobo-type) Organic / Medic

-- Back on Track --

Once you have completed all of the Grinding you want to do here, either head to the Historica Crux or to the Gate (whichever you prefer) and to the next puzzle-filled zone!