With Maliris defeated, I had to make a few annoying back-and-forth runs to make more Nero family members join the search. When I reached the entrance of Memoria, I brought my three highest-level characters (Dagger, Quina, and Freya) along to slightly increase the probability of escaping battles through L1+R1. It still never worked for me, but it might work for you. I allowed one encounter between saves throughout this whole process.
When I finally got to Tiamat, I first picked up the Rune Claws and equipped them to Amarant along with the Power Belt. I also switched Freya's Demon Killer out for Dragon Killer. Tiamat began the battle by using Absorb Magic, which was harmless. Zidane then used Soul Blade to put it to sleep. I then had Steiner use Charge!, Freya and Amarant attack, and Zidane use Soul Blade again. It's important to correctly time the selection of commands here. If you begin too early, Zidane's ATB gauge won't fill before the attacks start. If you begin too late, Tiamat will wake up before the first attack. The right time to begin selecting commands is when Zidane's ATB gauge is about 1/4 full. After this second Soul Blade, I repeated the same commands as before except I made Zidane steal instead of use Soul Blade again and had him do it before Freya's and Amarant's attacks. Zidane stole the Blood Sword, and Freya's attack finished the battle.
After the battle, I saved at the hidden save point in the next screen. I allowed two encounters in the next part because it's really difficult to get through those two longer screens without an encounter. Fortunately, these were the last random encounters I had to endure. I saved again at the next save point, then proceeded to the room with Kraken. Before engaging Kraken, I distributed Ether to everyone, then gave Freya the Dragon's Hair and Diamond Gloves, Amarant the Kaiser Knuckles and Black Belt, Steiner the Cross Helm, Diamond Gloves, Diamond Armor, and Power Belt, and Zidane the Ribbon. I also switched back to Demon Killer instead of Dragon Killer for Freya.
Zidane began this fight by attacking one of Kraken's tentacles. Kraken then attacked and missed. I then had Amarant attack the other tentacle, Steiner Shock the beast for 9999 damage, and Freya use Dragon Breath to repeat that damage and kill off the tentacles. Zidane then stole the Genji Helmet and Kraken cast Waterga, which knocked out Amarant and healed Zidane, so I had Freya revive him and Steiner use Charge! Kraken then attacked and missed again, and I finished the battle with one more Charge!
I saved in the next room, then gave Freya and Steiner another Ether and returned Freya's Steiner's, and Zidane's equipment to what they had before Kraken. I then went straight to the final boss of this challenge, Lich. Lich began by using Venom Powder on Freya, which missed. I then had Zidane steal the Genji Gloves while everyone else went all out. Lich then used Death Cutter and missed again, and one more Charge! ended the battle.
With all that over, I walked to the save point and saved with a final time of 11:36:33. After 13 months, I finally made it! I like to leave picking up the Excalibur II until after the save. This leaves a buffer of about 23 minutes for anyone who would like to follow in my footsteps. By the way, I have 16 Ethers left at the end, so you can feel free to sell a few more than I did if you're ever short on cash at some point.
Well, this will be my last post on here. Feel free to contact me with any questions or needed clarifications. Until then, goodbye and I hope you enjoyed reading this!
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Nova Dragon and Maliris
And now I begin the final disc. After the initial scenes at Black Mage Village, I put Freya, Amarant, and Steiner in my party, then flew to Lindblum to start the Nero Family Side-quest. When I was finished there, I traveled to the chocobo tracks by Esto Gaza and called Choco. I then swam to the former location of Shimmering Island and dug up the Ultima Weapon. With that in hand, I returned to the Invincible and equipped my party as follows:
Freya Amarant Steiner Zidane
Holy Lance (no changes) Ragnarok Ultima Weapon
Mythril Helm Barbut Green Beret
Gauntlets Diamond Gloves N-Kai Armlet
Minerva's Plate Maximilian Power Vest
Barette Rebirth Ring Ribbon
_________________________________________________________
(no changes (no changes) Auto-Life (no changes)
except she lost Distract
Counter from MP Attack
not having a Bird Killer
Venetia Shield) Devil Killer
I then saved before heading off to Memoria. After skipping the three FMVs the battle against Nova Dragon began. I carefully planned this battle to set me up for Charge!, and it went even better than I had hoped. Steiner began the battle by attacking. Nova Dragon countered this attack, and Steiner tanked the hit. Nova Dragon then used Tidal Wave. This damaged Freya and knocked out Amarant. I then attacked some more and had Zidane revive Amarant. Nova Dragon countered Freya, but missed her. It then used Aerial Slash, which brought Freya to critical HP, yet she remained standing. The attack knocked out Steiner, but he revived thanks to Auto-Life. I kept bringing the heat with more attacks, and Nova Dragon responded with Psychokinesis, which knocked out Zidane. One more round of attacks with Charge! then finished the battle, and my entire party is ready for Charge! in my next battle. I'm not going to bother listing abilities learned anymore because they're not important at this point. I've already learned all the abilities I'm going to use for the rest of the challenge with a couple notable exceptions that will show up later.
NOTE: It's possible that Freya might not quite be reduced to critical HP from these attacks. As long as she's under 400 HP, you can still get her to critical by using HP+10% and/or HP+20%. You will have to sacrifice some abilities to activate these, so it's your call on whether to use them. You can get HP+20% from the Battle Boots, which you should have picked up in Pandemonium.
Once I regained control of my party in Memoria, I immediately got back on the Invincible, keeping my same party. I then went back to Lindblum and got the next Nero brother to join the search. With that done, I returned to Memoria and saved at the orb. I then proceeded to Maliris, getting no encounters along the way. Before engaging in the fight, I revived Zidane and gave him the Dark Matter, then gave Freya a Venetia Shield, Amarant a Green Beret, and Steiner a Venetia Shield. I also switched everyone's Man Eater for Devil Killer, also removing Zidane's Distract and Bird Killer and giving him Body Temp and Bandit as well as removing Freya's Dragon Killer and Locomotion and giving her Counter and Cover.
My battle against Maliris was perfect! Freya attacked first, then Maliris responded by attacking her but missing. Zidane then stole the Genji Armor, Steiner used Charge!, and Amarant and Freya attacked. Maliris then attacked Amarant, but Freya covered for him, dodged, and counterattacked! A few more attacks then finished it off. Maliris's dying attack knocked everyone out, but Steiner revived with Auto-Life to let me win the day! I revived everyone and gave Freya an Ether on my way to the next save point and saved with a time of 11:03:48.
Freya Amarant Steiner Zidane
Holy Lance (no changes) Ragnarok Ultima Weapon
Mythril Helm Barbut Green Beret
Gauntlets Diamond Gloves N-Kai Armlet
Minerva's Plate Maximilian Power Vest
Barette Rebirth Ring Ribbon
_________________________________________________________
(no changes (no changes) Auto-Life (no changes)
except she lost Distract
Counter from MP Attack
not having a Bird Killer
Venetia Shield) Devil Killer
I then saved before heading off to Memoria. After skipping the three FMVs the battle against Nova Dragon began. I carefully planned this battle to set me up for Charge!, and it went even better than I had hoped. Steiner began the battle by attacking. Nova Dragon countered this attack, and Steiner tanked the hit. Nova Dragon then used Tidal Wave. This damaged Freya and knocked out Amarant. I then attacked some more and had Zidane revive Amarant. Nova Dragon countered Freya, but missed her. It then used Aerial Slash, which brought Freya to critical HP, yet she remained standing. The attack knocked out Steiner, but he revived thanks to Auto-Life. I kept bringing the heat with more attacks, and Nova Dragon responded with Psychokinesis, which knocked out Zidane. One more round of attacks with Charge! then finished the battle, and my entire party is ready for Charge! in my next battle. I'm not going to bother listing abilities learned anymore because they're not important at this point. I've already learned all the abilities I'm going to use for the rest of the challenge with a couple notable exceptions that will show up later.
NOTE: It's possible that Freya might not quite be reduced to critical HP from these attacks. As long as she's under 400 HP, you can still get her to critical by using HP+10% and/or HP+20%. You will have to sacrifice some abilities to activate these, so it's your call on whether to use them. You can get HP+20% from the Battle Boots, which you should have picked up in Pandemonium.
Once I regained control of my party in Memoria, I immediately got back on the Invincible, keeping my same party. I then went back to Lindblum and got the next Nero brother to join the search. With that done, I returned to Memoria and saved at the orb. I then proceeded to Maliris, getting no encounters along the way. Before engaging in the fight, I revived Zidane and gave him the Dark Matter, then gave Freya a Venetia Shield, Amarant a Green Beret, and Steiner a Venetia Shield. I also switched everyone's Man Eater for Devil Killer, also removing Zidane's Distract and Bird Killer and giving him Body Temp and Bandit as well as removing Freya's Dragon Killer and Locomotion and giving her Counter and Cover.
My battle against Maliris was perfect! Freya attacked first, then Maliris responded by attacking her but missing. Zidane then stole the Genji Armor, Steiner used Charge!, and Amarant and Freya attacked. Maliris then attacked Amarant, but Freya covered for him, dodged, and counterattacked! A few more attacks then finished it off. Maliris's dying attack knocked everyone out, but Steiner revived with Auto-Life to let me win the day! I revived everyone and gave Freya an Ether on my way to the next save point and saved with a time of 11:03:48.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Pandemonium and Escape from Terra
When I started the game up again, I set up my party as follows:
Zidane Freya Steiner Amarant
Orichalcon Dragon's Hair Defender Kaiser Knuckles
Adaman Hat Barbut Genji Helmet Bandana
Bone Wrist Venetia Shield Venetia Shield Bone Wrist
Gaia Gear Minerva's Plate Diamond Armor Power Vest
Rebirth Ring Barette Dark Matter Black Belt
_________________________________________________________
Accuracy+ Auto-Float Auto-Float MP Attack
Alert Accuracy+ Distract Bird Killer
MP Attack Bird Killer Devil Killer
Bird Killer Ability Up Man Eater
Dragon Killer Body Temp
Level Up
Amarant is now all set with his abilities until I get the Excalibur II.
I then made my way through the Pandemonium maze, gathering the treasure along the way. I needed one encounter to set up Charge! and it went perfectly. I encountered an Abadon. I began by having Amarant attack. Abadon then cast Thundaga on Freya, which she survived with only ~100 HP remaining. Zidane and Amarant then self-KOed, and Freya attacked Abadon to finish it. Freya went up to level 30 and Steiner went up to level 20 as a result of this battle.
I then continued through the maze until I reached the moogle, at which point I delivered the letter and saved. When I reloaded, I used an Ether on Steiner, revived Zidane and Amarant, and adjusted my equipment and abilities for the next battles as follows:
Zidane Freya Steiner Amarant
Orichalcon Holy Lance Coral Sword Kaiser Knuckles
Green Beret Mythril Helm Cross Helm Coronet
Bone Wrist Venetia Shield Thunder Gloves Bone Wrist
Power Vest Minerva's Plate Diamond Armor Power Vest
Dark Matter Barette Power Belt Black Belt
_________________________________________________________
Accuracy+ Accuracy+ Distract (no changes)
Distract Distract MP Attack
MP Attack MP Attack Bird Killer
Bird Killer Dragon Killer Man Eater
Man Eater Man Eater Counter
Counter Ability Up
Body Temp
Locomotion
I also put everyone in the front row and switched Zidane's and Amarant's positions because Zidane is the weakest attacker at this point. If you only have one Power Vest then you can give Zidane a Judo Uniform instead. I then proceeded to the battles. Silver Dragon went down instantly from just one use of Charge! After the battle, Amarant learned Man Eater, Gamble Defense, and HP+20%, Freya learned Dragon's Crest and Auto-Float, Steiner learned Charge!, MP Attack, and Ability Up, and Zidane learned Detect.
Garland opened the next battle by casting Flare on Amarant. I had Zidane revive him and everyone go all out with attacks and Charge! Garland then used Psychokinesis on Zidane, so Amarant returned the favor of reviving and I ended the battle with another attack from Freya and a Charge!
When I fought Kuja, he began by casting Demi on Amarant, knocking him out, so I had to revive him again. I then continued the pattern of attacks and Charge! Kuja then cast Thundaga on Steiner, so I revived him and had to content myself with just normal attacks that round. Kuja cast Thundaga one more time on Zidane, but I didn't bother reviving him because the battle was over with more attacks and Charge! I didn't have to restore anyone's MP during these fights thanks to my leveling of Steiner.
With the fights over, I breezed through the escape and evacuation scenes as quickly as possible and then saved at the end of disc 3 with a time of 10:46:58. Just one more disc left!
Zidane Freya Steiner Amarant
Orichalcon Dragon's Hair Defender Kaiser Knuckles
Adaman Hat Barbut Genji Helmet Bandana
Bone Wrist Venetia Shield Venetia Shield Bone Wrist
Gaia Gear Minerva's Plate Diamond Armor Power Vest
Rebirth Ring Barette Dark Matter Black Belt
_________________________________________________________
Accuracy+ Auto-Float Auto-Float MP Attack
Alert Accuracy+ Distract Bird Killer
MP Attack Bird Killer Devil Killer
Bird Killer Ability Up Man Eater
Dragon Killer Body Temp
Level Up
Amarant is now all set with his abilities until I get the Excalibur II.
I then made my way through the Pandemonium maze, gathering the treasure along the way. I needed one encounter to set up Charge! and it went perfectly. I encountered an Abadon. I began by having Amarant attack. Abadon then cast Thundaga on Freya, which she survived with only ~100 HP remaining. Zidane and Amarant then self-KOed, and Freya attacked Abadon to finish it. Freya went up to level 30 and Steiner went up to level 20 as a result of this battle.
I then continued through the maze until I reached the moogle, at which point I delivered the letter and saved. When I reloaded, I used an Ether on Steiner, revived Zidane and Amarant, and adjusted my equipment and abilities for the next battles as follows:
Zidane Freya Steiner Amarant
Orichalcon Holy Lance Coral Sword Kaiser Knuckles
Green Beret Mythril Helm Cross Helm Coronet
Bone Wrist Venetia Shield Thunder Gloves Bone Wrist
Power Vest Minerva's Plate Diamond Armor Power Vest
Dark Matter Barette Power Belt Black Belt
_________________________________________________________
Accuracy+ Accuracy+ Distract (no changes)
Distract Distract MP Attack
MP Attack MP Attack Bird Killer
Bird Killer Dragon Killer Man Eater
Man Eater Man Eater Counter
Counter Ability Up
Body Temp
Locomotion
I also put everyone in the front row and switched Zidane's and Amarant's positions because Zidane is the weakest attacker at this point. If you only have one Power Vest then you can give Zidane a Judo Uniform instead. I then proceeded to the battles. Silver Dragon went down instantly from just one use of Charge! After the battle, Amarant learned Man Eater, Gamble Defense, and HP+20%, Freya learned Dragon's Crest and Auto-Float, Steiner learned Charge!, MP Attack, and Ability Up, and Zidane learned Detect.
Garland opened the next battle by casting Flare on Amarant. I had Zidane revive him and everyone go all out with attacks and Charge! Garland then used Psychokinesis on Zidane, so Amarant returned the favor of reviving and I ended the battle with another attack from Freya and a Charge!
When I fought Kuja, he began by casting Demi on Amarant, knocking him out, so I had to revive him again. I then continued the pattern of attacks and Charge! Kuja then cast Thundaga on Steiner, so I revived him and had to content myself with just normal attacks that round. Kuja cast Thundaga one more time on Zidane, but I didn't bother reviving him because the battle was over with more attacks and Charge! I didn't have to restore anyone's MP during these fights thanks to my leveling of Steiner.
With the fights over, I breezed through the escape and evacuation scenes as quickly as possible and then saved at the end of disc 3 with a time of 10:46:58. Just one more disc left!
Monday, September 1, 2014
You're Not Alone!
Now I get to blaze toward the end of disc 3. Stiltzkin appeared in the hut when I reloaded, so I bought his items. I then equipped my party as follows:
Zidane Freya Quina Amarant
Orichalcon Dragon's Hair Bistro Fork Kaiser Knuckles
Adaman Hat Barbut Holy Miter Bandana
Bone Wrist Venetia Shield N-Kai Armlet -
Gaia Gear Minerva's Plate Robe of Lords -
Rebirth Ring Barette Dark Matter -
_________________________________________________________
Auto-Life HP+10% Level Up Bird Killer
Accuracy+ Accuracy+ Insomniac
Alert MP Attack Loudmouth
Bird Killer Auto-Potion
Level Up
After exiting the hut, I picked up the Angel Earrings on my way to the inn. I went through the scene then went to talk to the girl, picking up the Elixir while I was there. Then, as Eiko, I picked up the Elixir in the inn and the Flash Hat. I then went to the entrance of Bran Bal, then went one screen to the right and immediately turned around. This opened up the path to continue on.
I sat through some long scenes, and then it was time for the forced experience battles. This part used to be considered very difficult to survive through, but it was a cakewalk with the new strategies I used. First up is Amdusias. This was the easiest of the three before, but now it almost seems hard in comparison to how easy the others were. To begin, I waited for Amdusias to cast Bio and knock out Zidane. Amdusias can counter any move you make against it, including stealing, so don't bother. Its items aren't very good anyway. When Freya showed up, I had Zidane and Freya attack, in that order. Amdusias countered Zidane's attack, knocking him out, and Freya's attack pushed the battle to the final stage. Amarant attacked once, then Amdusias wasted its turn. This allowed me to finish the battle by having Amarant self-KO and Freya attack for the win.
Next up: Abadon. With the way I've prepared for this battle, my party is well protected from Abadon's attacks. With Quina at level 28 and the other two equipped as they are, all three characters can survive Thundaga. Quina can survive any of Abadon's attacks, and will even have a net gain of HP after High Wind thanks to Auto-Potion. When the battle began, Abadon opened things up with a Blade attack that missed, and Quina and Steiner defended. Abadon then used High Wind, knocking out Steiner. Zidane then entered the battle, and Abadon immediately used High Wind again, knocking out Zidane, who revived with 1 HP. I then had Quina revive Steiner. Abadon's next move was to cast Thundaga on Steiner, which he absorbed. Steiner and Zidane then attacked. Abadon then used Blade and missed again, so Steiner got another attack in. At this point, Abadon used High Wind and knocked out Steiner and Zidane, which was just what I wanted. Quina then attacked, but his damage was too low to finish the fight. Abadon attacked with Blade again and connected this time, but Quina had no problem surviving it. Finally, Quina attacked again and finished it.
And last we have Shell Dragon. Zidane immediately fell to a Charge but revived thanks to Auto-Life. This bought Dagger into the fight. Shell Dragon then used Earth Shake, which both my characters absorbed. Zidane then attacked, while Dagger remained on standby. Shell Dragon then used Charge again, knocking out Zidane, and Dagger finished things off by summoning Shiva for 9999 damage.
NOTE: If your Dagger is gaining levels in this fight, then you will need multiple attacks and/or summonings of Shiva to end this fight. If you would prefer not to use Shiva, then you will have to resort to the trance strategy given in the guide.
As a result of these fights, Freya advanced to level 27 and Quina advanced to level 32. Dagger gained no levels, exactly as she was supposed to. I removed Quina's equipment before reuniting the party, but left Dagger alone because I don't need any of the things she has on. I then formed a party with Zidane, Freya, Steiner, and Amarant, which will be my party for the rest of the challenge. Because the fights were so easy, I decided to grab the Holy Miter before saving here. It doesn't really make any difference in the long run. My time on saving is 10:29:48.
Orichalcon Dragon's Hair Bistro Fork Kaiser Knuckles
Adaman Hat Barbut Holy Miter Bandana
Bone Wrist Venetia Shield N-Kai Armlet -
Gaia Gear Minerva's Plate Robe of Lords -
Rebirth Ring Barette Dark Matter -
_________________________________________________________
Auto-Life HP+10% Level Up Bird Killer
Accuracy+ Accuracy+ Insomniac
Alert MP Attack Loudmouth
Bird Killer Auto-Potion
Level Up
After exiting the hut, I picked up the Angel Earrings on my way to the inn. I went through the scene then went to talk to the girl, picking up the Elixir while I was there. Then, as Eiko, I picked up the Elixir in the inn and the Flash Hat. I then went to the entrance of Bran Bal, then went one screen to the right and immediately turned around. This opened up the path to continue on.
I sat through some long scenes, and then it was time for the forced experience battles. This part used to be considered very difficult to survive through, but it was a cakewalk with the new strategies I used. First up is Amdusias. This was the easiest of the three before, but now it almost seems hard in comparison to how easy the others were. To begin, I waited for Amdusias to cast Bio and knock out Zidane. Amdusias can counter any move you make against it, including stealing, so don't bother. Its items aren't very good anyway. When Freya showed up, I had Zidane and Freya attack, in that order. Amdusias countered Zidane's attack, knocking him out, and Freya's attack pushed the battle to the final stage. Amarant attacked once, then Amdusias wasted its turn. This allowed me to finish the battle by having Amarant self-KO and Freya attack for the win.
Next up: Abadon. With the way I've prepared for this battle, my party is well protected from Abadon's attacks. With Quina at level 28 and the other two equipped as they are, all three characters can survive Thundaga. Quina can survive any of Abadon's attacks, and will even have a net gain of HP after High Wind thanks to Auto-Potion. When the battle began, Abadon opened things up with a Blade attack that missed, and Quina and Steiner defended. Abadon then used High Wind, knocking out Steiner. Zidane then entered the battle, and Abadon immediately used High Wind again, knocking out Zidane, who revived with 1 HP. I then had Quina revive Steiner. Abadon's next move was to cast Thundaga on Steiner, which he absorbed. Steiner and Zidane then attacked. Abadon then used Blade and missed again, so Steiner got another attack in. At this point, Abadon used High Wind and knocked out Steiner and Zidane, which was just what I wanted. Quina then attacked, but his damage was too low to finish the fight. Abadon attacked with Blade again and connected this time, but Quina had no problem surviving it. Finally, Quina attacked again and finished it.
And last we have Shell Dragon. Zidane immediately fell to a Charge but revived thanks to Auto-Life. This bought Dagger into the fight. Shell Dragon then used Earth Shake, which both my characters absorbed. Zidane then attacked, while Dagger remained on standby. Shell Dragon then used Charge again, knocking out Zidane, and Dagger finished things off by summoning Shiva for 9999 damage.
NOTE: If your Dagger is gaining levels in this fight, then you will need multiple attacks and/or summonings of Shiva to end this fight. If you would prefer not to use Shiva, then you will have to resort to the trance strategy given in the guide.
As a result of these fights, Freya advanced to level 27 and Quina advanced to level 32. Dagger gained no levels, exactly as she was supposed to. I removed Quina's equipment before reuniting the party, but left Dagger alone because I don't need any of the things she has on. I then formed a party with Zidane, Freya, Steiner, and Amarant, which will be my party for the rest of the challenge. Because the fights were so easy, I decided to grab the Holy Miter before saving here. It doesn't really make any difference in the long run. My time on saving is 10:29:48.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Training in Terra
Wow! I can't believe what incredible luck I just had! I never expected to finish this part so soon. Anyway, now is the time for the detour that defines this path. The reason for the detour is that both Quina and Dagger require a Holy Miter for their leveling, but only one is available at this point. That means one of them has to level up enough so that character will not gain any levels in Pandemonium. This requires a minimum level of 45. Unfortunately, Quina can't afford to gain that many levels without access to Dark Gear, so I have to level Dagger. Furthermore, Dagger needs Minerva's Plate for all her leveling, and the first place that becomes available is in Terra just before reaching Bran Bal. Thus, I have to train her in Terra without the benefit of saving between battles because I can't train anymore once I enter Bran Bal.
I'm already set up the way I need to be for this training, so I got in the airship and flew to Shimmering Island. I kept my party the same when I reached Terra. I had a total of four random encounters before reaching Minerva's Plate. The first one was against two Ring Leaders. Before I could do anything, one of them used Virus Powder on Amarant, inflicting him with Virus status. This was a huge lucky break for me because it made the rest of this whole process much simpler. I revived him and cast Night to put the Ring Leaders to sleep. I then had Zidane and Dagger knock themselves out while Amarant killed the Ring Leaders with one hit each. Quina went up to level 28 as a result of this battle. Leveling Quina at this point is optional, but it helps a lot in the upcoming fight with Abadon. I revived everyone and removed Quina's gear after the battle, giving him a Yellow Scarf and activating Millionaire and Loudmouth with the increased number of magic stones Quina now has available. I fled from the other encounters I had before reaching Minerva's Plate because Quina can't afford to gain any more levels before Pandemonium.
When I got Minerva's Plate, I equipped Dagger with her leveling gear, which is the Magic Racket, Holy Miter, Magic Armlet, Minerva's Plate, and Ribbon. I also activated her Level Up ability, deactivating Loudmouth because she doesn't have enough magic stones yet. I put it back on as well as Ability Up once she had space for it. I then ran around in circles on that screen, getting into battles and leveling Dagger all the while. In another stroke of luck, I never encountered a Mover during the leveling process. Mover is by far the most difficult enemy to deal with here. Hecteyes was easily dealt with by casting Life after Zidane and Quina had knocked themselves out. I took out Ring Leaders using the same strategy detailed above. Between battles, I used Dagger's Life spell to revive everyone, thus saving Phoenix Downs. I also used an Elixir on anyone who got low on MP. I avoided selling my Eye Drops and Echo Screens in Daguerreo so I could use them in case the Ring Leaders inflicted those statuses, but I turned out to not need them. It's still a good idea to keep them, though, because they did it several times in my practice runs.
In case you don't get lucky like I did getting Amarant in Virus status, here is a link to the original strategies as given by camdad04. They work very well, although the Mover strategy relies on a fair amount of luck.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/197338-final-fantasy-ix/68411051
The strategies are in post #40.
I gave Dagger the Dark Matter once she reached level 43 because she can only gain 42 levels with the Ribbon. It's ok to do this at level 42 if you're worried that she might go straight to level 44 with the next fight. When she reached level 46, I noticed she was about 16,000 experience away from the next level, so I deactivated Level Up hoping that the next battle would be just enough so put her to the next level while keeping her at least 26,377 experience away from level 48, and it was. This is so she won't gain any levels from Shell Dragon. If Dagger gets too close to level 48 then you'll have to reset because she can't afford to reach that level without a Pearl Rouge. In the process of leveling, Dagger learned Berserk, Mini, Body Temp, Insomniac, and High Tide.
NOTE: Even if you're letting Steiner take Abadon's experience and thus don't need to train Dagger, it would still be a good idea to level her up a bit before entering Bran Bal. This will make the Shell Dragon fight easier.
When the training was complete, I changed Dagger's equipment to give her a Magus Hat, Gaia Gear, and Pumice Piece, activating Chemist, Auto-Potion, and Boost. Make sure you deactivate Level Up at this point if you haven't already! If you're not going to use Shiva, I would recommend giving her the Mythril Racket, Green Beret, Bone Wrist, Power Vest, and Black Belt (taking it from Amarant), and activating Auto-Float. This is to maximize her physical attack damage.
Once she was ready to go, I entered Bran Bal and headed straight to the hut with the moogle. I picked up the Wing Edge, freed the moogle, and picked up the letter. I then sold the spoils from Earth Guardian (Avenger, Rubber Suit, and Phoenix Pinion), and bought 9 Zorlin Shapes, 1 Defender, 1 Bistro Fork, and 1 Adaman Hat. I also bought a few Phoenix Downs, making sure to reserve 2,222 gil for Stiltzkin. If you need more cash, you can sell the items you picked up in Terra except for the Coronet. Also, the Bistro Fork and Adaman Hat are optional. If you can only afford one of the two, I would recommend the Adaman Hat. Don't forget that you can buy the Defender after the forced battles if necessary. The three battles give you a total of 6996 gil. When my shopping was done, I saved with a time of 10:13:46.
EDIT: After looking into it further, I've concluded that Movers will never appear in the screen with Minerva's Plate. Thus, I highly recommend that you not backtrack to any previous screens during Dagger's training. Also, it seems that single Ring Leaders rarely appear here. With this in mind, I looked at all the possible ways to get into one of the experience windows Dagger needs to be in and determined that these two options are the best:
Option 1:
5 battles against 2 Ring Leaders with Level Up
3 battles against Hecteyes with Level Up
1 battle against Hecteyes or 1 Ring Leader without Level Up
Option 2:
4 battles against 2 Ring Leaders with Level Up
6 battles against Hecteyes with Level Up
Both these options give Dagger just enough experience to be at level 47 without gaining a level from Shell Dragon. Option 1 is a bit faster if you can pull it off without having to run away because you got the wrong encounter, but either of these should be doable in a decent amount of time.
I'm already set up the way I need to be for this training, so I got in the airship and flew to Shimmering Island. I kept my party the same when I reached Terra. I had a total of four random encounters before reaching Minerva's Plate. The first one was against two Ring Leaders. Before I could do anything, one of them used Virus Powder on Amarant, inflicting him with Virus status. This was a huge lucky break for me because it made the rest of this whole process much simpler. I revived him and cast Night to put the Ring Leaders to sleep. I then had Zidane and Dagger knock themselves out while Amarant killed the Ring Leaders with one hit each. Quina went up to level 28 as a result of this battle. Leveling Quina at this point is optional, but it helps a lot in the upcoming fight with Abadon. I revived everyone and removed Quina's gear after the battle, giving him a Yellow Scarf and activating Millionaire and Loudmouth with the increased number of magic stones Quina now has available. I fled from the other encounters I had before reaching Minerva's Plate because Quina can't afford to gain any more levels before Pandemonium.
When I got Minerva's Plate, I equipped Dagger with her leveling gear, which is the Magic Racket, Holy Miter, Magic Armlet, Minerva's Plate, and Ribbon. I also activated her Level Up ability, deactivating Loudmouth because she doesn't have enough magic stones yet. I put it back on as well as Ability Up once she had space for it. I then ran around in circles on that screen, getting into battles and leveling Dagger all the while. In another stroke of luck, I never encountered a Mover during the leveling process. Mover is by far the most difficult enemy to deal with here. Hecteyes was easily dealt with by casting Life after Zidane and Quina had knocked themselves out. I took out Ring Leaders using the same strategy detailed above. Between battles, I used Dagger's Life spell to revive everyone, thus saving Phoenix Downs. I also used an Elixir on anyone who got low on MP. I avoided selling my Eye Drops and Echo Screens in Daguerreo so I could use them in case the Ring Leaders inflicted those statuses, but I turned out to not need them. It's still a good idea to keep them, though, because they did it several times in my practice runs.
In case you don't get lucky like I did getting Amarant in Virus status, here is a link to the original strategies as given by camdad04. They work very well, although the Mover strategy relies on a fair amount of luck.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/197338-final-fantasy-ix/68411051
The strategies are in post #40.
I gave Dagger the Dark Matter once she reached level 43 because she can only gain 42 levels with the Ribbon. It's ok to do this at level 42 if you're worried that she might go straight to level 44 with the next fight. When she reached level 46, I noticed she was about 16,000 experience away from the next level, so I deactivated Level Up hoping that the next battle would be just enough so put her to the next level while keeping her at least 26,377 experience away from level 48, and it was. This is so she won't gain any levels from Shell Dragon. If Dagger gets too close to level 48 then you'll have to reset because she can't afford to reach that level without a Pearl Rouge. In the process of leveling, Dagger learned Berserk, Mini, Body Temp, Insomniac, and High Tide.
NOTE: Even if you're letting Steiner take Abadon's experience and thus don't need to train Dagger, it would still be a good idea to level her up a bit before entering Bran Bal. This will make the Shell Dragon fight easier.
When the training was complete, I changed Dagger's equipment to give her a Magus Hat, Gaia Gear, and Pumice Piece, activating Chemist, Auto-Potion, and Boost. Make sure you deactivate Level Up at this point if you haven't already! If you're not going to use Shiva, I would recommend giving her the Mythril Racket, Green Beret, Bone Wrist, Power Vest, and Black Belt (taking it from Amarant), and activating Auto-Float. This is to maximize her physical attack damage.
Once she was ready to go, I entered Bran Bal and headed straight to the hut with the moogle. I picked up the Wing Edge, freed the moogle, and picked up the letter. I then sold the spoils from Earth Guardian (Avenger, Rubber Suit, and Phoenix Pinion), and bought 9 Zorlin Shapes, 1 Defender, 1 Bistro Fork, and 1 Adaman Hat. I also bought a few Phoenix Downs, making sure to reserve 2,222 gil for Stiltzkin. If you need more cash, you can sell the items you picked up in Terra except for the Coronet. Also, the Bistro Fork and Adaman Hat are optional. If you can only afford one of the two, I would recommend the Adaman Hat. Don't forget that you can buy the Defender after the forced battles if necessary. The three battles give you a total of 6996 gil. When my shopping was done, I saved with a time of 10:13:46.
EDIT: After looking into it further, I've concluded that Movers will never appear in the screen with Minerva's Plate. Thus, I highly recommend that you not backtrack to any previous screens during Dagger's training. Also, it seems that single Ring Leaders rarely appear here. With this in mind, I looked at all the possible ways to get into one of the experience windows Dagger needs to be in and determined that these two options are the best:
Option 1:
5 battles against 2 Ring Leaders with Level Up
3 battles against Hecteyes with Level Up
1 battle against Hecteyes or 1 Ring Leader without Level Up
Option 2:
4 battles against 2 Ring Leaders with Level Up
6 battles against Hecteyes with Level Up
Both these options give Dagger just enough experience to be at level 47 without gaining a level from Shell Dragon. Option 1 is a bit faster if you can pull it off without having to run away because you got the wrong encounter, but either of these should be doable in a decent amount of time.
Breaking the Seal
Now I march into Ipsen's Castle. On the way to Kumool, I equipped my party as follows:
Zidane Freya Steiner Quina
The Ogre Javelin Flame Saber Fork
Red Hat Barbut Cross Helm Green Beret
Bone Wrist Gauntlets Thunder Gloves Egoist's Armlet
Power Vest Genji Armor Shield Armor Mythril Vest
Power Belt Extension Lapis Lazuli Yellow Scarf
_________________________________________________________
Distract (no changes) Accuracy+ Ability Up
Master Thief Distract Millionaire
Ability Up Bird Killer
Bandit Add Status
Ability Up
With my party thus set up for Taharka, I saved with Kumool. After reloading, I marched up to the top of Ipsen's Castle, took the mirrors, and fought Taharka. Zidane opened by stealing the Mythril Claws. Taharka then attacked but missed. When Zidane's turn came up again, he stole the Elixir, and Taharka decided to curl up. On the third turn Zidane finally got the Orichalcon. Steiner then attacked and inflicted Heat, and the battle was over. As a result of this fight, Zidane learned Soul Blade and Add Status, Freya learned Dragon Killer, Cover, Body Temp, Accuracy+, and Level Up, Steiner learned Devil Killer and Distract, and Quina learned Ability Up and Auto-Potion.
I ran back to Kumool and saved again with no random encounters. This next part I kept having to redo because I changed my mind on how to proceed a lot, but my mind is finally made up. On my way out of the castle, I prepared my party members for upcoming battles like so:
Zidane Freya Steiner Quina
Orichalcon Javelin Ragnarok Silver Fork
Green Beret Barbut Cross Helm Holy Miter
Bone Wrist Gauntlets Venetia Shield Egoist's Armlet
Power Vest - Genji Armor Gaia Gear
Power Belt - Coral Ring Yellow Scarf
_________________________________________________________
MP Attack (no changes) Accuracy+ Ability Up
Devil Killer Distract Millionaire
Insomniac MP Attack Insomniac
Bandit Bird Killer
I then went through the scenes with rescuing Amarant and talking about how to break the seal to Terra. When prompted, I chose a party of Vivi, Quina, and Steiner so I wouldn't have to change it as I dropped people off. I flew straight to the Water Shrine, followed by the Fire Shrine. I then took a slight detour to visit Daguerreo. I ran in, fixed the lift, and rode it up to the weapon shop, where I proceeded to empty my inventory of all unnecessary items. Here is my sell list. An asterisk next to an item means I kept one copy of that item.
Potion (enough so that my number of remaining Potions equals my number of Ores)
Remedy
Antidote
Soft
Annoyntment
Gysahl Greens*
Phoenix Pinion
Dead Pepper*
Tent
Rising Sun
Wing Edge
Mythril Dagger
Gladius
The Ogre
Fork
High Mage Staff
Mythril Claws (only the one stolen from Taharka)
Cat's Claws
Partisan
Ice Brand
Exploda
Thief Gloves
Mythril Gloves
Thunder Gloves*
Lamia's Tiara
Ritual Hat
Red Hat
Golden Hairpin
Mythril Helm*
Gold Helmet
Fairy Earrings
Madain's Ring
Anklet
Feather Boots
Germinas Boots
Demon's Mail
Shield Armor
Plate Mail
Adaman Vest
Brigandine
Extension
After selling all those, I bought the missable items as instructed in the guide as well as a Venetia Shield. I then headed over to the synthesis shop and turned all my remaining Potions and Ore into Opal. I had 13,535 gil remaining after doing all this, so you shouldn't have any problem affording everything here. If you fall a little short for some reason, you could remove Amarant's Jade Armlet and sell that as well.
NOTE: If Steiner is to take Abadon's experience, then you need to give him his leveling gear now. Equip him with the Rune Blade (or Ragnarok), Barbut, Venetia Shield, Diamond Armor, and Dark Matter. You won't be able to level Quina on this path because s/he will need the Dark Gear for all 98 levels, so you don't need to worry about the availability of the Dark Matter in the next part.
I left Daguerreo and saved next to the airship. I then got on, dropped the last two party members off at the Wind Shrine, and traveled to the Earth Shrine. Then, I finally got to use the Earth Guardian strategy that I helped develop over a year ago. I began with an attack from Zidane and Quina casting Night. Zidane then stole the Avenger. When their ATB gauges filled up again, Zidane attacked and Quina cast Night again. Zidane then stole the Rubber Suit. Zidane then attacked one more time and Quina ate Earth Guardian, which taught him Earth Shake. After the battle, Zidane learned MP Attack and Quina learned Insomniac and Level Up.
After the party reuniting scenes, I formed a party with Dagger, Quina, and Amarant. I then landed in Blairsurpass Plains and equipped my party one more time as follows:
Zidane Dagger Quina Amarant
Orichalcon Magic Racket Silver Fork Kaiser Knuckles
Green Beret Bandana Holy Miter Bandana
- - N-Kai Armlet -
- - Robe of Lords -
- - Dark Matter Black Belt
_________________________________________________________
Accuracy+ Insomniac Level Up MP Attack
Bird Killer Loudmouth Insomniac Bird Killer
Alert Insomniac
Insomniac
With my party now prepared for Terra, I saved with a time of 09:49:39.
Zidane Freya Steiner Quina
The Ogre Javelin Flame Saber Fork
Red Hat Barbut Cross Helm Green Beret
Bone Wrist Gauntlets Thunder Gloves Egoist's Armlet
Power Vest Genji Armor Shield Armor Mythril Vest
Power Belt Extension Lapis Lazuli Yellow Scarf
_________________________________________________________
Distract (no changes) Accuracy+ Ability Up
Master Thief Distract Millionaire
Ability Up Bird Killer
Bandit Add Status
Ability Up
With my party thus set up for Taharka, I saved with Kumool. After reloading, I marched up to the top of Ipsen's Castle, took the mirrors, and fought Taharka. Zidane opened by stealing the Mythril Claws. Taharka then attacked but missed. When Zidane's turn came up again, he stole the Elixir, and Taharka decided to curl up. On the third turn Zidane finally got the Orichalcon. Steiner then attacked and inflicted Heat, and the battle was over. As a result of this fight, Zidane learned Soul Blade and Add Status, Freya learned Dragon Killer, Cover, Body Temp, Accuracy+, and Level Up, Steiner learned Devil Killer and Distract, and Quina learned Ability Up and Auto-Potion.
I ran back to Kumool and saved again with no random encounters. This next part I kept having to redo because I changed my mind on how to proceed a lot, but my mind is finally made up. On my way out of the castle, I prepared my party members for upcoming battles like so:
Zidane Freya Steiner Quina
Orichalcon Javelin Ragnarok Silver Fork
Green Beret Barbut Cross Helm Holy Miter
Bone Wrist Gauntlets Venetia Shield Egoist's Armlet
Power Vest - Genji Armor Gaia Gear
Power Belt - Coral Ring Yellow Scarf
_________________________________________________________
MP Attack (no changes) Accuracy+ Ability Up
Devil Killer Distract Millionaire
Insomniac MP Attack Insomniac
Bandit Bird Killer
I then went through the scenes with rescuing Amarant and talking about how to break the seal to Terra. When prompted, I chose a party of Vivi, Quina, and Steiner so I wouldn't have to change it as I dropped people off. I flew straight to the Water Shrine, followed by the Fire Shrine. I then took a slight detour to visit Daguerreo. I ran in, fixed the lift, and rode it up to the weapon shop, where I proceeded to empty my inventory of all unnecessary items. Here is my sell list. An asterisk next to an item means I kept one copy of that item.
Potion (enough so that my number of remaining Potions equals my number of Ores)
Remedy
Antidote
Soft
Annoyntment
Gysahl Greens*
Phoenix Pinion
Dead Pepper*
Tent
Rising Sun
Wing Edge
Mythril Dagger
Gladius
The Ogre
Fork
High Mage Staff
Mythril Claws (only the one stolen from Taharka)
Cat's Claws
Partisan
Ice Brand
Exploda
Thief Gloves
Mythril Gloves
Thunder Gloves*
Lamia's Tiara
Ritual Hat
Red Hat
Golden Hairpin
Mythril Helm*
Gold Helmet
Fairy Earrings
Madain's Ring
Anklet
Feather Boots
Germinas Boots
Demon's Mail
Shield Armor
Plate Mail
Adaman Vest
Brigandine
Extension
After selling all those, I bought the missable items as instructed in the guide as well as a Venetia Shield. I then headed over to the synthesis shop and turned all my remaining Potions and Ore into Opal. I had 13,535 gil remaining after doing all this, so you shouldn't have any problem affording everything here. If you fall a little short for some reason, you could remove Amarant's Jade Armlet and sell that as well.
NOTE: If Steiner is to take Abadon's experience, then you need to give him his leveling gear now. Equip him with the Rune Blade (or Ragnarok), Barbut, Venetia Shield, Diamond Armor, and Dark Matter. You won't be able to level Quina on this path because s/he will need the Dark Gear for all 98 levels, so you don't need to worry about the availability of the Dark Matter in the next part.
I left Daguerreo and saved next to the airship. I then got on, dropped the last two party members off at the Wind Shrine, and traveled to the Earth Shrine. Then, I finally got to use the Earth Guardian strategy that I helped develop over a year ago. I began with an attack from Zidane and Quina casting Night. Zidane then stole the Avenger. When their ATB gauges filled up again, Zidane attacked and Quina cast Night again. Zidane then stole the Rubber Suit. Zidane then attacked one more time and Quina ate Earth Guardian, which taught him Earth Shake. After the battle, Zidane learned MP Attack and Quina learned Insomniac and Level Up.
After the party reuniting scenes, I formed a party with Dagger, Quina, and Amarant. I then landed in Blairsurpass Plains and equipped my party one more time as follows:
Zidane Dagger Quina Amarant
Orichalcon Magic Racket Silver Fork Kaiser Knuckles
Green Beret Bandana Holy Miter Bandana
- - N-Kai Armlet -
- - Robe of Lords -
- - Dark Matter Black Belt
_________________________________________________________
Accuracy+ Insomniac Level Up MP Attack
Bird Killer Loudmouth Insomniac Bird Killer
Alert Insomniac
Insomniac
With my party now prepared for Terra, I saved with a time of 09:49:39.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Ultimate Chocobo Hot 'n' Cold
Now it's time for one last session of Chocobo Hot 'n' Cold, and it's a doozy! First I played a game in the forest where I got the Forgotten Plains Chocograph and a Chocograph Piece. I saved afterwards, then in the second game I got the last Chocograph Piece and two Dead Peppers. With that done, I rode Choco over to Treno and went to the weapon shop to have Amarant take on Amdusias. Just one attack from Amarant was plenty to end this battle immediately. I then left Treno and dug up the Mist Ocean Chocograph to gain the ability to fly, after which I traveled north to the Outer Continent, made my way to the closest forest, dismounted, and saved.
I then had to reset until Chocobo's Air Garden showed up at the Outer Continent. When it did, I flew up and played a game, making sure I got all eight items so I could get a good score. I need a total score of 10,000 points to get a Robe of Lords, so I had to play several games here to make it. I played a total of nine games at the air garden and got all eight items in each game with an average of about 1,000 points per game. (I already had about 1,000 points coming into this.) I allowed lower scores in my first few games and made up the difference later when Choco could dig better. My highest score was 1485. I probably could have done it in eight games if I'd had a lot more patience, but I just want to get this done. I had three Dead Peppers coming into this and two at the end, so I averaged just under one per game. I was never in danger of running out of them, so I think three is a good starting number. A useful trick I found is that, when exiting the air garden, you can use the square button to make Choco fly backwards. This is faster than turning around to land at the nearby forest.
With the Robe of Lords in hand, I was off to dig up more Chocographs. I got all three Chocographs that are available at the air garden, so my first stop was to get the Outer Island Chocograph with the Ragnarok and the Genji Armor. This only takes 25-30 seconds, so I figure it's a worthwhile detour. Next, I flew over to Vile Island to dig up the Fairy Island Chocograph for the needed Holy Miter. I skipped Forgotten Island because none of its contents are useful. I then landed on the Forgotten Continent and ran west to dig up Forgotten Plains. Finally, I ran to Ipsen's Castle and saved with a time of 09:29:51. Sadly, I'm no longer beating the target time, but that was to be expected at this point.
NOTE: This part could change in up to two ways depending on your perfect game preferences. If you don't want to use Shiva against Shell Dragon, then you don't need the Forgotten Plains Chocograph. You can instead go for one that gives you more money, like Abandoned Beach, or just not bother with a Chocograph. If you plan to have Steiner take Abadon's experience, then you don't need the Robe of Lords. Thus, you'll only need to play one game of Chocobo Hot 'n' Cold at the air garden so you can get Fairy Island. If you have time to spare, you could play another game for Outer Island if you want, but the time investment for you would be about three minutes.
I then had to reset until Chocobo's Air Garden showed up at the Outer Continent. When it did, I flew up and played a game, making sure I got all eight items so I could get a good score. I need a total score of 10,000 points to get a Robe of Lords, so I had to play several games here to make it. I played a total of nine games at the air garden and got all eight items in each game with an average of about 1,000 points per game. (I already had about 1,000 points coming into this.) I allowed lower scores in my first few games and made up the difference later when Choco could dig better. My highest score was 1485. I probably could have done it in eight games if I'd had a lot more patience, but I just want to get this done. I had three Dead Peppers coming into this and two at the end, so I averaged just under one per game. I was never in danger of running out of them, so I think three is a good starting number. A useful trick I found is that, when exiting the air garden, you can use the square button to make Choco fly backwards. This is faster than turning around to land at the nearby forest.
With the Robe of Lords in hand, I was off to dig up more Chocographs. I got all three Chocographs that are available at the air garden, so my first stop was to get the Outer Island Chocograph with the Ragnarok and the Genji Armor. This only takes 25-30 seconds, so I figure it's a worthwhile detour. Next, I flew over to Vile Island to dig up the Fairy Island Chocograph for the needed Holy Miter. I skipped Forgotten Island because none of its contents are useful. I then landed on the Forgotten Continent and ran west to dig up Forgotten Plains. Finally, I ran to Ipsen's Castle and saved with a time of 09:29:51. Sadly, I'm no longer beating the target time, but that was to be expected at this point.
NOTE: This part could change in up to two ways depending on your perfect game preferences. If you don't want to use Shiva against Shell Dragon, then you don't need the Forgotten Plains Chocograph. You can instead go for one that gives you more money, like Abandoned Beach, or just not bother with a Chocograph. If you plan to have Steiner take Abadon's experience, then you don't need the Robe of Lords. Thus, you'll only need to play one game of Chocobo Hot 'n' Cold at the air garden so you can get Fairy Island. If you have time to spare, you could play another game for Outer Island if you want, but the time investment for you would be about three minutes.
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