Walkthrough

After that last Cinema with Kuja you might think you've had enough excitement for a while. But you are dead wrong-- Kuja likes Bahamut still, and killing Brahne was just the beginning.....

This is the first disk where you get some time to run off by yourself and do some exploring. Not only do you get a boat early on, you will get an airship in due time to help as well. Also it is perfect time to do some side quests but mostly because a few areas become off-limits at the end of this disk. This is the most exciting disk of the game with lots of things to take on.

Alexandria

You start out back in Alexandria again because Brahne has died and Garnet must be crowned Queen very soon. Zidane is in the pits feeling horrible because he thinks he can never see Garnet again if she is tending to a kingdom. When you have control of Vivi, you might want to try out the Hippaul Racing side quest which you can only do now. Talk to the mother hippo in the vertical street near the entrance of Alexandria to try it out. If not, explore the town a bit. There are new things to buy in the item and weapon shop now, plus the synthesizer is now open for your synthesizing needs.

Go left from the town square into that alleyway and ignore Blank and Marcus for the time being. Instead, go into the house on the left when you exit the alley to find Eye Drops in a chest. Now continue into the bell tower and ring the bell like in disk 1. Out pops some better cards. An Ironite, Goblin, Fang, Shiva, and a Ramuh. Be sure to update the mognet and save at the moogle here. Now go back and speak to Marcus and Blank by the alley. Enter to see the play, but as soon as you do, you get switched back to Garnet and Steiner.

Dr. Tot will give Garnet a bunch of stones to re-learn her summons off of again, only summoning uses less MP now. Then the screen shifts to Eiko, who wants to write a love letter to Zidane with the help of Dr. Tot. You get to hear of Garnet's history during this. When Eiko is done you can save your game by running back into the room. Go up and you will end up giving the letter to Baku to give to Zidane but as the story progresses, he loses it and a mix-up unfolds.

When you go back to Zidane, go back to the theater to get 2680 gil on the first table. Go into the town square once more and through the gates at the top. After you get Freya and Amarant to join you, check the steps on both sides before getting into the boat for, 3927 gil and another Phoenix Pinion. Jump into the boat and when you get out again check behind the fountain for a rare Lapis Lazuli. Go to the top of the screen to see Steiner who in turn, will let you see Garnet. You get to see a romance start to blossom between Steiner and Beatrix because of that letter. Afterwards, Zidane, Eiko, Amarant, Freya, and Vivi all head to Dr. Tots office in Treno to get his help.

Treno Card Tournament

Upon arriving, everyone runs off, so you get to see lots of ATEs of what they are doing. Have Vivi go home in His ATE sequence so that you can see the Qu's Reunion later. Explore Treno once more to turn in your coins and fight the monster. Be sure to stop by the Auction to buy at least the Dark Matter for Garnet to learn Odin off of later. Enter into the first round of the card tournament after saving. Now watch the ATE choosing "I won't force it out of you". go back and save and be sure to watch the next Home Sweet Home ATE.

Because you did all of the ATEs and selected certain things, you can leave Treno and go into Quan's Dwelling to pick up Vivi. Explore the area completely to find 3 ethers and the Scorpio coin below a lake that will restore you completely.

On your way back, go through South Gate instead and head to Dali. You can go into the stopped windmill for a cachucha and an elixir. Now go down and enter the Mayor's House. Search the desk 3 times and then the heater once for the Mayor's Key. Now you can open the door in the windmill to take you to the last coffee, Burman, after claiming 30000 gil in the chest right over it. Now go and take all of your coffee into the mountain next to Dali and give it to Morrid who wanted it. He will leave you the mini-Prima Vista in Lindblum whenever you get there.

Back in Treno save and go to round two of the card tournament. After winning, get Freya on the screen after the moogle and then save again. You only fight the master once so if you lose, start over. If you win, you get a rebirth ring as your prize. Eiko appears only to tell you something bad is happening back in Alexandria.

Attack on Alexandria

Kuja has once again summoned Bahamut but this time he is having him attack Alexandria.

When asked to send the knights of Pluto to their duties, have Blutzen and Kohel gather information; Weimar and Haagen protect the townspeople; Breireicht and Laudo contact Lindblum for reinforcements and Mullenkedheim and Dojebon get ready to fire cannons.

In the next area Beatrix and Steiner run through the town, killing Mistodons as they go along. Have Beatrix use life on all of them and Steiner use potions and ethers.

As Garnet, go through the left door and climb all the stairs, including the ones that transform for you. In a moment, Eiko jumps off of the airship Zidane got and she joins Garnet in summoning Alexandria's guardian, Alexander, who defeats Bahamut. As more things happen you meet a new person, Garland of whom you will have learnt a lot about towards the end of this disk.

Now is a good time to fight Tantarian, an optional boss, with Zidane and everyone, as you go rescuing Garnet up the castle. When you are ready, just go the way Garnet went before its too late.

Lindblum

You appear back in Lindblum again. All the treasure in the city seems to have been re-stocked so go back and reopen all the chests you opened earlier. Before running out of the room, save. Ask Blank about dagger before leaving. Go left and then into the elevator to the very top. Then find your way back to the telescope to talk to Garnet, who seems to have been permanently silenced. After coming back down, talk to Blank who tells you to go see Cid. Go up and into the top to be told to go into the lower area. There is a big meeting and a lot will be learned in the next 15 minutes. When its over, go back to the middle area and up to the bedroom to have Eiko watch over Garnet and Steiner. Go back to the conference room to get your next assignment of finding three potions to cure Cid of his metamorphosis.

Go to the Theater District into the Artist's house to find the strange potion and a lapis lazuli. Then go into the Tantalus theater to find 1217 gil, 4826 gil, 970 gil and the mini-Prima Vista if you gave Morrid his coffee. Ask Cinna about the potions and he gives you the unusual potion. Go to the Business District next and get the Sagittarius to the left of the spilled pickle cart and in the doorway for the Lindblum card. Then go right and up to the next area with the weapon, item, and synthesis shops. After shopping, talk to Alice of the destroyed item shop for the beautiful potion.

Find your way back to Cid and Tot will put the potions on which make Cid turn into a frog instead of turning him into a person. When he is done talking, he lets you use his Blue Narciss to go exploring, and reach your next destination of the Black Mage Village.

Black Mage Village

When you finally decide to drop anchor here, let Vivi run off in the village while you collect some things from the place. Up the ladder in the item shop you can find a good Black Belt on the bed. When you are convinced there is nothing left to do, go to the cemetery to find Vivi talking to a Mage. After being told there were two more mages tending the chocobo egg, he runs off in that direction. After talking to the last two mages by the shack, you learn of where Kuja has his hideout, in a desert on the eastern side of the continent. Take your ship there and search the pit that is most to the north. The other pits have Antlion battles in them so don't go wasting your time fighting them pointlessly.

Kuja's Secret Quicksand Pit

Upon entering, you get locked into individual cells, but Kuja forces Zidane to run him an errand on the forgotten continent. Zidane gets to choose 3 people to go with him on the forgotten continent to retrieve the gulug stone from the Oeilvert castle. It is suggested you choose Freya, Amarant and Quina so that the rest of your guys can go towards helping in the escape from Kuja's Desert Palace later on. To get going, run around in the stone area and enter the stolen Hilda Garde 1 and you will get taken to the Forgotten Continent automatically.

On Your Way to Oeilvert

Upon exiting, you can purchase medicines from the ship only and you should try putting up healing measures due to lack of a healer although Quina can be made to fit this role. First head north to the Qu's Marsh to catch some frogs and find the nearby chocobo tracks. If you have been avidly playing Hot and Cold during the time with the Blue Narciss, you should have the mountain Ability, some dead peppers and some chocographs which are really only accessible now. There are two cracks to break open along the way and riding a chocobo makes getting to Oeilvert much easier. A little southward exploring reveals a small thing-- your destination, Oeilvert.

Oeilvert

There is a moogle who you need to save at as well as feel free to buy from here before going in, as well as getting a letter to give to the moogle braving it out inside. Then go to the big door and wait for it to open. As you enter, you will notice that absolutely no magic can be used at all, even for curing. Try your best to get around this.

First walk up the stairs to get to a rising sun and go through the opening to the left up the stairs. Get the Elixir from the chest and change the blue ball in the room to red to unlock the rest of what's in this place. Then go back and take the remedy from behind the stairs back in the other room. Then go through the door on the left below the stairs. There will be a short sequence to view. Open the 2 chests and go down a screen.

First grab the Power Vest from the chest and go upstairs in that room to activate the various projectors. First activate the top left, then top right, bottom right and finally bottom left. (a sort of arc shape) As you activate each one, you view certain documentaries on airships and how they came about. Go back up the stairs and get the Feather Boots and go through the door there.

Examine the next orb as you go along to view another projection. When you continue along, you will come back to that big projection area in the top left corner. There is a door right there that you can now go through, do so now. In here you will encounter a big wall full of statues that will start coming alive to talk to you. When they are done, go back and make your way back to where you first came into the place, at the room with the stairs and the orb after them.

In here, go right this time around. Save at the moogle in here and give it your letter. There will be another sequence in this room. If you leave the room and come back after viewing it, Stilzikin will be there with another bargain to buy. Continue to the platform to the right after picking up the Gaia Gear in the right of this room. Take this elevator down and attempt to grab the Gulug Stone from the pedestal. Upon taking it, you will be ambushed by Ark. It is to be noted that this is the exact Ark that can be summoned as the best summon in the game. After battling, take the stone and you will be switched back to what's happening in Kuja's Desert Palace.

Kuja's Desert Palace

After a scary conversation with Kuja, Cid will have to find a way over to an hourglass in order to save them in under ten minutes.

Run down the little platform stretch, and go right to enter a short mini-game to get to the thing. Move very slowly and stop immediately when the Hedgehog Pie is turned to you. This eats away very quickly at your time, so be very careful because you can only afford to start over at most twice. After doing this you have about two minutes left to decide which weights to put on the scale in order to boost Cid to the Glass. The correct one is the last choice of numbered vials after examining them.

After they have been set free, go left this time down the path to enter his annoying palace. Now around here, there will be lots of candlesticks to light and they will hereby be called switches, mostly because that's what they are in here. Be sure to light every one unless I tell you not to. As you go along, lighting these will ignite bloodstones, which are to be picked up always because the boss will benefit from unclaimed Bloodstones. Every time a red stone appears, I don't think I have to tell you to pick it up. When you come across the stairs, light all candles and go up the stairs. Her there are 3 statues, one angel with two demons of either side. Go in front of the right demon and then the left one to reveal a walkway to proceed up. Notice their eyes are moving. Don't go all the way yet. Instead, light the candles and go back down. Go left at the bottom to a room with Fairy Earrings in a chest. Go all the way up the pathway.

Go up the left stairway and light the three candles to open the mirror by you. Go through it to come out on the other side of this room. Only light the bottom left candle to open a way on the other side. Go back through the mirror and go through this new opening in the room and light the candles above the little stairs. This opens fully the whole room allowing you to finish lighting the two you left alone at the right side of this room. Go back to the center and go down the little stairs to start a bloodstone shining and open your next travel-through mirror on the right side of this room. In this small hallway, light all the candles to get a bloodstone, then go all the way north up the stairs at the end of this corridor.

Follow along the pathway for two screen until you come to a library with a ladder stuck to the wall and two bookshelves. Ignite the candle on the left to open the path at the front of the screen to travel up to the top bookcase. Light the candle up top to slide the bookcases down and reveal a doorway. Go through, and get another bloodstone. Come back and go to the ground and up the ladder against the bookcase to light a candle on the section. This shifts the cases again to open another doorway to light a candle in the area. Upon returning, the left side of the screen becomes passable, and you should save at the moogle and give him his letter and save.

In the room to the left, light the two candles to get a bloodstone and go through the door to the other side. Light all the candles for the last bloodstone and put out the middle candle on this side before going back to the other side. On the other side, put out the left candle to make a staircase appear. Go up it and light the last candle to fight the Valia Pira, a defense system of Kuja's. If you did not get all the bloodstones, it will draw bonuses from them so don't miss any. After defeating him, you can transport to Kuja's hideaway.

When Kuja asks Zidane to come alone, do so. But everyone will go in to stop him, however, in the end Eiko gets kidnapped and you have to run to Esto Gaza to save her.

After Kuja's exit, assemble a party and get the Namingway card from the stack of books in the front of the screen. Run back out and take the left teleporter to go to where the airship used to sit. Instead go past a little more to find a ledge with a switch that lowers a rope ladder back down.

Back in the Blue Narciss, go to Esto Gaza in the east on the Outer continent.

Esto Gaza

Here, talk to the Bishop inside to hear about Eiko and go to the right here to find a shopping area. All the way around is a wing edge to pick up. When you are ready, go past the bishop after talking with him to rest, and go to the back and talk to the moogle to save and exchange letters. When you are done, go to the right doen to some big doors, known as Mt. Gulug.

Mt. Gulug

Start off by heading to the left to pick up bottom right corner for some gil, and then climb the ladder. Up here is an Ether and then go through the left opening and down a ladder to a platform with a red hat. Go all the way back and go right this time to the other little house.

Go right through it 'til you jump across another platform and into a cave, and walking along, 'til you come to a chest with a Golden Hairpin in it. Go back to the platform you hopped and go down the rope. Go right first down lots of stairs to find a Gaia Gear at the end. Go back to the moogle you ran past and save and exchange letters. Be sure to get the wing edge before going left this time.

At the run-down house, get the Demon's Mail in it, then go out and up into a cave. Save and exchange letters with this last moogle and go up the stairs to get an elixir. Go back to the well.

Pull the lever up and then down three times to make it fall down and allow you to climb below. At the bottom, two red dragons will attack and make a hole to go through. Here you find Eiko being tormented by Zorn and Thorn. This next battle is won automatically because a new Eidolon appears and defeats The two for you. But as you rush in, Zorn and Thorn warp together to make Meltigemini, Of whom you must now defeat.

Reunion at Lindblum

After the fight, you run across Lady Hilda, Cid's wife. The black mages return, and everyone goes to Lindblum to cure Cid and oversee the making of the Hilda Garde 3. First, upon waking, save and exchange letters again then head to the conference room to hear of this. You will notice Garnet is not with you, so Steiner goes off to find her. As the story meeting continues, you will get interrupted by 2 ATEs to watch. Hilda now tells of the importance of visiting Ispen's Castle about traveling to different planets. When Steiner says he can't find her, Zidane goes looking in Alexandria. Baku takes him to Beatrix, who gives him a Garnet (which teaches Garnet Bahamut) and tells him where to find her. When she is found, you will all gain a new airship and enter the first major exploration time of the game.

Ispen's Backward Castle

Ipsen's Castle is in a crater on the Forgotten Continent. To be noted is that while in here you will notice that when u go up a pole or ladder, you appear on the ceiling instead of a new floor. Also, you will notice that your cheapest weapons do the most here and your prized blades barely scratch enemies here. So unless you have some oldies lying around in your inventory for quick equipping then you are going to have to wait to pick them up because each character's original weapon is scattered somewhere in there anyway. And while cheaper weapons do more damage, cheaper magic will still be cheaper than stronger magic.

Upon arrival, Amarant will challenge Zidane to get the Gaia Plates before he does and runs off. When you get into the entrance hall pick up Zidane's Dagger and the Aquarius coin.

Go through the steps at the end of the hall and speak to the moogle in the big room. You should have a letter for him, as well as an opportunity to heal, save, and start the process of equipping yourself better. After, go down the pole below him and go over up the ladder. On the balcony, go out through the left side. Go through the door and head over to another ladder. Here you need to go down. Now if you go up, you can get a Javelin for Freya and a Broadsword for Steiner to help in their damage if they are in your group. Then finish climbing down. Walk along this balcony to another ladder and take it all the way up.

Here you will see a wall that you will need to attempt to open. When you examine the wall, a list of options will appear. Do the following in the order given: push, pound, think, push, try something drastic rest. While leaning on the wall, it will open up for you. In the next screen, get the barrette on the right and go to the top of the screen to ride on an elevator. Amarant has beaten you there, but leaves you promptly with the job of taking the Gaia Mirrors. Prepare you guys before taking them all because when you have them, you will be attacked by Taharka. Once you beat him, you have to get all the way back to where the moogle is so you can finish the other half of the events in Ispen's Castle.

Be careful of the newly active trap doors, because the random battles can get annoying when you have to keep going back upstairs. Save your game and prepare your guys some more. For a rare Maiden Prayer, approach the trap door on the upper-right area of the screen and fall right next to it. Afterwards, head back to the entrance of Ispen's Castle.

Another rare item is at stake -- the one and only, Ancient Aroma. Head through the middle doorway and head down the next two screens, ending with a trip down the elevator into a circular glowing room. Get the Golem's Flute for a little cash later, and proceed with rearranging the flower things. Move the flower on the right ledge to the upper-right edge and the left flower to the ledge that was just on. Then move the first flower to the left ledge, and the second flower onto the upper-right ledge. This causes the big sword on the wall to glow and all the light from it get sucked into the flower you just put down. Pick it up again to get the Ancient Aroma.

Head back to the entrance and go outside and down the big stairs. The rest of your people will tell you Amarant never came out, so Zidane runs in alone to find him. Go back to the room with the moogle, and go down that pole. Amarant is sitting on the beams almost dead. They will go into a talk and after Amarant loses his grudge against Zidane and joins up with him. You have to fight your way back to the entrance again and out of Ispen's Castle forever.

The Four Gaia Shrines

After you get instructions on placing the plates in the shrines, you will shift back to the world map where all the shrines have opened up. Equip your people with their best items then prepare for some globe hopping. First, fly to the Water Shrine, the whirlpool around a rock spire in the middle of the ocean; second, fly to the Fire Shrine, the live volcano on the Outer Continent; third, the Wind Shrine, the large crack in the cliff on the Forgotten Continent where you were kept away by a strange wind; and last, the Earth Shrine, the place on the Northern Continent where the ground shook when you got near it.

You will go along dropping off pairs of people until finally you are left with Quina in the Earth Shrine. Head down the stairs until you encounter a trap. Press X when the ! appears in order to jump out of the way. The screen will flip to some dialogue between Eiko and Garnet for a moment and then flip back to where Quina has found a place to place the plate in the Earth Shrine. When you are ready, have Quina place it and the screen will flash to the other characters who have all encountered bosses after placing their plates. But don't worry, they will automatically win their battles so the only one you have to fight is with the Earth Guardian.

When you have won, Zidane will automatically pick everyone up and stop near the Water Shrine. Land somewhere to re-equip and save. Be reminded that once you proceed to Terra there will be some places on Gaia that will be blocked upon your arrival home. The Gaia Shrines all form a cross with an island in the middle of it. So soar over the Shimmering Island and press O. This is one of the cooler movies in the game, entering the Planet of Terra!

The Planet of Terra

Once you arrive, Garland will insult Zidane and Garnet will tell you to hurry up because everyone is waiting. In the next screen there will be a girl who runs away, but first go down the steps right there to find a simple jumping game and get the Coronet and Dragon Wrist. Go back and follow after that strange girl, opening the treasure chest before continuing after her. When you get to a bridge, she promptly vanishes. Before trying to find her, go down the web on the right. Go down them all, picking up goodies as you progress, jump over the gap and head down the next web. Once down there, pick up the Demon's Vest and talk to the girl once more to be taken to another bridge. One the bridge, talk again and you'll be brought before a large stairway. Go down it for a chest and then go up it to make your way into Bran Bal, the only settlement on the planet of Terra.

Bran Bal

Suddenly, you see the Invincible take off and Dagger faints, so Zidane immediately goes in search of somewhere for Garnet to rest. When you can move, head left and into the first house on the left for Dagger's resting place, picking up things as you see them. Here Eiko will start looking around for medicine, but not find anything. After some storyline, Zidane will be watching over Garnet when she wakes up, leaving Zidane to go and do some exploring.

First go back into the inn to open up those chests you weren't allowed to go into while the scene was going on. Then head back to the large stairway to find a Flash Hat and some Angel Earrings. Now, feel free to explore all the buildings, but save the one with the large planet model in it for after you save. In the building on the right side of town in the house all the way on the right to find a Wing Edge and a funny shaking jar. Examine it and out pops one of the rare Terra Moogles! Save and browse his wares before going back to that model building.

In the model building, there is a staircase off to the right for you to go down. You find a strange laboratory with that girl in it. Talking with her will trigger a series of events and you will find out a great deal of Zidane's background. Afterwards you can control Eiko. With her, you will get a bunch of ATE's which you should watch in order to see where a bunch of characters are so that you can get them to join her. When you are complete, Go back to that large stairway again and go through that to find a bridge with that girl on it again. Eiko will run out of the party to get the others when the screen shifts back to Zidane, at the time he went through, so that you can see what happens to him.

Garland's Pandemonium

Walk through the teleporter and you will see Garland. Simple jump around after him while he talks, learning about Zidane's strange past. Afterwards, the scene shifts to Kuja and then to Zidane, who is sitting on a throne looking depressed. Eiko and Vivi wake him up, but he shrugs them off and storms away into a battle. Freya and Amarant show up to give him a hand, but when the battle is over, he gives them the same treatment as Vivi and Eiko. He finds a room with Quina and Steiner fighting, so he jumps in to help them out. He abandons them and ends up in a fight with a Shell Dragon. After his health goes down to one, Dagger will jump in to heal him and you can finally kill it. Dagger brings him back to his senses, so now go back through those rooms to collect the rest of your guys. Choose four members as your group. You will run into a moogle so give him his letter, save, and equip better and heal. Head back to where Zidane used to be sitting for a Holy Miter.

Continue all the way and into a very annoying room. all the little things are lights. When you press the button, a bridge will extend and you have to get to it in thirty seconds before it gets turned off again. The trick is, it turns on some of the lights in a continuously changing pattern, and going by one starts a battle, which will result in your time running out. Try it a few times without trying for the bridge so you can memorize the pattern. You get as many tries at this as you need.

This next room is a little long and takes a bit of trial and error to figure out the correct settings. Fortunately, here they are. Begin by setting the device to 4. Go into the next room and take the elevator up one floor. Go to the right and and take a teleporter up one floor. Tale the teleporter on the left so you can get some Carabini Mail from the chest and head back to the teleporter. Go this time up the far right teleporter to the top and take the central teleporter back to the bottom with the elevator. Here, take the bottom spur to the teleporter on the left. Head to the lower teleporter of the ones there and teleport up twice. Get the Battle Boots and go back down to the group of teleporters. Now teleport up the one on the right. Teleport up twice in the next area and you will come upon the last moogle of Terra.

Here it is greatly suggested you save and heal. Equip everyone perfectly with the best of everything. You are about to fight against three big bosses without any break in between them. Enter the doorway to begin a fight with Kuja's Silver Dragon. Then Garland will try to destroy you, but simply steps out, acknowledging your power when you win. Finally Kuja himself will fight you. You will know when you beat him when he completely transforms into his trance mode and flies up. His trance attack is the great and mighty Ultima, which destroys your guys to one hit point. After the battle, the rest of your party gets to sneak off while Kuja learns of his weaknesses from Garland.

Everyone rushes off onto the Invincible while Zidane and Dagger try to go rescue the Genomes. Head to the bottom right hand corner and across the new bridge. On the other side, Dagger notices a teleporter that will get you out. The two of you will split up and Zidane rushes to save the last Genome, Mikato. Everyone barely makes it out safely as Kuja is blasting the planet of Terra to pieces with his Ultima in his rage.

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