FINAL FANTASY X-2 PERFECT GAME GUIDE / ALTERNATE 100% GUIDE (v2.02) - nemes1s aka hpsolo - GAME VERSION: Final Fantasy X-2; US Release LATEST UPDATE: 02-MAR-2004 Added note regarding save files (they don't show any v2.02 decimal values -- e.g. 1.6% shows up as 1% and this is normal) 23-FEB-2004 Minor update regarding Bikanel dispatches (just some v2.01 clarifications about dispatches) 20-FEB-2004 Major updates (added more info regarding why things v2.00 are done the way they're done) WHAT THIS GUIDE WILL GET YOU - 100% story completion in one game (not using New Game+) - all dress spheres, including Mascot - all special dress spheres and the two power-ups for each of the three special dress spheres - many (if not all) of the really nice items you can get in one complete game with 100% story completion - most of the garment grids (it is impossible to obtain all the garment grids in a 100% in-one-try game) - all 10 crimson spheres - all treasures spheres excluding Gippal's sphere (not possible to obtain in a 100% in-one-try game) - both magical dance volumes (enables you to fully master the Songstress dress sphere) - all Blue Bullet abilities that have only once chance of being learned - basically all the things you can get (and are worth getting) if you try to get 100% story completion in one game WHAT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET IN A 100%-IN-ONE-TRY GAME - Key to Success - Enterprise - Minerva's Plate - a few garment grids (someone care to tell me which ones?) - Gippal's sphere INTRODUCTION This guide assumes that you are playing a brand new game, and not using the New Game+ feature. It is possible to get 100% by using the New Game+ feature if you fail to get 100% in your first try. If you are using this guide while using the New Game+ feature, please see the VERY IMPORTANT note toward the end of this guide! This guide is based on actual gameplay. It is set up so that there are as many "point O" save spots as possible. That is, the order is set up so that you can easily make sure you've done everything right as often as possible. Moreover, you'll be starting out with white magic as early as possible, unlike in other guides where you're left without white magic until near the end of chapter one. Again, this guide has been verified by actual gameplay. I gathered info from Brady Games and other FAQs from GameFAQs to compile what I thought would be a suitable way of getting 100%. If you read some of the other guides, you'll eventually reach parts (e.g. Chapter 5) where it is impossible to finish one section without partially starting another section so that you can't really rely on the values for completion. This guide eliminates such problems and also does things in a way where even if you end up having to start from a previous save, you won't be set back too far (including leveling up and items lost). I will warn you when you should not interrupt someone while they are speaking (only occurs once in the game). Otherwise, you should always: 1. enter any place for the first time by airship (i.e. in the first chapter, enter all places by airship if it's your first time there) 2. use at least two save files -- one for your previous "point O" save (i.e. save at a point where the percent ends with .0) and the other as "scratch" file; use more scratch files so you can more easily backtrack without having to backtrack too far 3. never press start to choose the option to skip a scene during any cutscene or FMV; you may press start to puase, but only for pausing 4. it never hurts to speak to someone several times (i.e. you should always think of talking to someone until they either begin to repeat themselves or speak in a dialogue box -- as opposed to subtitles and possible voice acting) 5. always remember to sleep in the Cabin at the start of every chapter 6. always respond with something to the effect of "yes" when you are asked to do some task or participate in some event (you can always cancel out of it later; but say yes at first as this normally enables missions and/or opens up mini-games); 7. you should use this guide as an outline; by "details" I mean details regarding the things that MUST be done for the 100% story completion; I used Brady Games' guide for maps and whatnot 8. be patient; DON'T GET ANTSY AND START SKIPPING DIALOGUES BY PRESSING THE X BUTTON; if you're going to go for 100% (which is an extremely big pain in the butt), then do it right by actually listening to and reading about the entire story CREDITS/THANKS - Brady Games guide - Ultimania guide - Kouli and KG21 for their guides CHECKPOINTS - Save files will NOT show decimal parts; this is why you should check your progress against whole-number checkpoints. That is, if you have, say, 12.6% on your current game, your save file will only show "12%" - Chapter 1: 6.0, 9.0, 14.0, 16.0, 17.0, 20.0, 21.0 - Chapter 2: 30.0, 32.0, 33.0, 34.0, 35.0, 37.0, 38.0 - Chapter 3: 46.0, 47.0, 49.0, 50.0, 51.0, 53.0, 55.0, 57.0 - Chapter 4: 63.0, 64.0, 65.0, 66.0, 67.0, 70.0, 71.0, 72.0 - Chapter 5: 79.0, 80.0, 82.0, 83.0, 86.0, 87.0, 90.0, 92.0, 95.0, 96.0, 100.0 WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR SAVE FILE SHOWS THE WRONG PERCENTAGE - don't immediately start over from your last "point O" checkpoint - the only thing that could have happened is that you forgot to do something between the last "point O" save and where you are now unless you simply ignored saving your game when the guide says SAVE GAME XX.0% - double check you've done the things listed from the previous "point O" checkpoint and where you are now - redo the steps since your last reliable "point O" save file; by this I do not mean load from the last reliable save file and start from there again; I mean that if you say only have 31% when you should have 32% at the 32.0% checkpoint, use the file that is saving at only 31% and duplicate what you think you have already done to reach 32.0% -- if you then save and still do not have the correct percentage, then perhaps you should let me know so we can clear up any possible problems - most mistakes are due to people doing things out of order; the order of the events usually does not matter, but if you find that your percentage isn't right, it's possible that the events you did required a certain order (e.g. chapter one at Mushroom Rock requires you to accept Yaibal's mission first, and then talk to Clasko vs the incorrect method where you turn down Yaibal, talk to Clasko, and then accept Yaibal's mission) WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! - the game keeps track of your percentages internally; THE SAVE FILE DOES NOT SHOW PAST INTEGER VALUES (i.e. if you've earned up to, say, 1.6%, your save file will only show 1% -- this is normal and also the reason for checkpoints) - there are missions which you can complete and have the correct percentages upon saving, and yet STILL screw up in chapter 5; so make sure you read EVERY SINGLE "NOTE" that appears or you will NOT get the episode completes needed in chapter 5 - you must sleep in the Cabin in every chapter in order to trigger a required cutscene in chapter 5, so make sure you sleep in the Cabin at least once per chapter - once you can dig in Bikanel, avoid digging too much (any success in a dig means you are leveling up a chapter 5 boss; if you max out this boss' level before you reach chapter 5, you will NOT get 100% on your first try); for now, either dig and avoid the yellow X marks, or do not dig at all (except for the mission requiring that you dig) WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! --------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER I --------------------------------------------------------------------- LUCA ............................................................ 1.6 * touch the moogle on the second, left dock (YOU MUST DO THIS OR YOU WILL NOT GET 100% COMPLETION) * mission complete AIRSHIP CELSIUS ................................................. 1.8 * talk to Buddy * talk to Brother * talk to Rikku * talk to Paine * talk to Shinra * view "Journey's Start" (by speaking with Shinra) * talk to Barkeep (he's in the Cabin) * sleep in the Cabin (by speaking with Barkeep) * speak to Buddy to be sent to Mt Gagazet NOTE: you should probably save your game here, just in case MOUNT GAGAZET ................................................... 2.6 * save your game once you finish the jumping tutorial; the upcoming mission is timed so you'll need the save file in case you have to redo the mission * during the mission, make it to the save point at the top of the mountain before time runs out (ignore getting sidetracked for now; it's not hard at all to pick up all the chests during this mission -- it's even easier if you make it to the save sphere at the top and then go back to pick up any treasures WITHOUT the worry of a timer) * defeat the boss; mission complete ......................... SAVE GAME [06.0%] ......................... AIRSHIP CELCIUS ................................................. 0.6 * save your game before doing anything (this is the fake 6.0% check; see NOTE below, however -- VERY IMPORTANT DETAIL) * speak to Brother and choose to comfort him NOTE: The 6.0% check really does not exist since it occurs right after the mission complete screen, but before any cutscenes you see on the airship. Unforunately, there is no way to save your game after the mission complete, but prior to seeing any airship scenes. So you techinically have something like 6.2% when actually _can_ save because of the cutscenes you see on the airship upon returning from the mission. The true test to see if you did all the necessary requirements to reach 6.0% is to do the following steps: - after saving on the airship, and AFTER COMFORTING BROTHER, you presumably have 6.6% (if you did everything correctly); go visit Guadosalam via your airship (this gives 0.2%) - after the cutscene there, continue up to the upper levels of Guadosalam and attempt to enter the Farplane entrance and you will see a second cutscene (this gives another 0.2%) - use a temp save file and save in Guadosalam; if you see 7%, then you have done all the steps from 0.0% to 6.0% correctly; if not then you messed somewhere between 0.0% and 6.0%) - if you did get 7% on your temp save file, then you're good to go; just load the 6.0% save file (again, it's technicaly not 6.0%) and proceed normally by comforting Brother, and then move on to the Besaid section below BESAID .......................................................... 2.2 NOTE: If you used the test described in the NOTE above, make sure your current game does not have the Guadosalam events as having already been seen; those were used for testing only * enter Besaid and speak with Wakka * take a walk with Lulu * rest at Lulu's place * exit Lulu's place and speak with her outside to start the mission * find the four ciphers (look for shiny spots) - 1st digit: on the way toward the beach but before the getting to the waterfalls - 4th digit: after finding the 1st digit, exit to the next area and hop onto the first ruin to your right - 3rd digit: once you reach the beach, hop onto the ledge to your left (look for some kids as soon as the screen changes to the beach area) - 2nd digit: far side (away from the entrance) of Besaid beach on top of some greenery * enter the digits to get inside the secret cave and speak to Wakka * defeat the boss; mission complete MI'HEN HIGHROAD ................................................. 0.2 * enter via the airship for a custcene; save your game for a percent check ......................... SAVE GAME [09.0%] ......................... MUSHROOM ROCK ................................................... 4.6 * speak with Yaibal (automatic once you follow Ormi and Logos); * accept Yaibal's mission of reaching Youth League HQ but don't actually start doing it yet; DO NOT TURN DOWN THE MISSION AND ACCEPT IT LATER ON! this will NOT get you the correct story completion points * speak with Clasko first before you enter the Mushroom Rock area * during your mission to reach the lift up to Youth League headquarters, take the side path to the Den of Woe and encounter Ormi and Logos; grab the Crimson Sphere 9 they leave behind (I also examined the door) * speak to Maroda at the Den of Woe (several times if need be) * go back and finish up the mission of reaching Mushroom Rock's lift * speak with Elma; mission complete * take the elevator up to Youth League headquarters (save your game) and then speak to Lucil TWICE * speak to Maechen and listen to his story; DO NOT PRESS ANY BUTTON EVEN WHEN GIVEN THE OPTION TO HAVE HIM GO ON -- SIMPLY LET HIM SPEAK * once Maechen is finished speaking, shake Maechen's hand * return to your airship and watch "Crimson Report 1" * return to Mushroom Rock and speak with Clasko by the entrance; he is near the edge of the water, opposite of where you first spoke to Yaibal to start the mission you just completed * allow Clasko to ride on the airship * return to your airship and talk to Clasko in the Cabin GUADOSALAM ...................................................... 0.4 * enter via airship * after the cutscene, go to the top level and attempt to enter the Farplane entrance for another cutscene * save your game and return to your airship ......................... SAVE GAME [14.0%] ......................... LUCA ............................................................ 1.6 * enter by airship * complete the mission here (very easy) * return to Luca and speak to Rin (he's at the bliztball locker room) NOTE: you might as well get a feeling for Sphere Break by speaking to the short guy on the opposite locker room from where Rin is; if you absolutely hate Sphere Break and suck at it, check out: http://aero.underclocked.com/ihsb/ MOUNT GAGAZET ................................................... 0.4 * enter via airship and watch the cutscene * reply to Garik with the second option * once you gain control of Yuna, speak to Kimahri and choose the second option (speak to him several times if need be) * speak to the female Ronso next to Kimahri and choose the first option * speak to everyone else and choose the second option * take the teleport pad and go to the Fayth Scar and speak to the Ronso here and choose the second option NOTE: That's 8 people in all, including Kimahri; if you speak to a Ronso and aren't given any response options, it's because you have already spoken to them; speaking with them will NOT affect the story completion, but they WILL affect a minor story detail later in the game. Only Kimahri is important for a dress sphere later on; the others are part of a monument building detail revealed in the last chapter ......................... SAVE GAME [16.0%] ......................... DJOSE TEMPLE .................................................... 1.0 * enter via airship for a cutscene * speak to Gippal and ask to dig; he'll "interview you" * obtain the "Letter of Introduction" ......................... SAVE GAME [17.0%] ......................... MACALANIA WOODS ................................................. 2.2 NOTE: if the enemies here are too tough, just escape; if you see an amorphous gel, have non-mages heal while your black mage casts magic (use the element opposite of what is used by the gel); it's best to run from the gels for now, though; you might want to save your game by taking the Shimmering Path back to the save sphere immediately after speaking to Tromell * enter via airship * speak to Bayra (automatic; he looks like a man with and eagle's head) * go due east of the save sphere and then south at the 4-way intersection and speak to Donga at the spring area * take the long route toward the travel agency and find Pukutak along the way; speak to ... it (?) * enter the north spring area and speak with Tromell UNTIL HE LEAVES (that is, talk to him FOUR times); you will obtain the special dress sphere for Paine if you do this correctly * save your game (take the Shimmering Path to get back to the save sphere without having to worry about encounters) * make your way to the travel agency and try to speak with O'aka before he runs off * find O'aka (north of where you found Donga); this is a mission * let O'aka onto your airship; mission complete * return to the airship and speak with O'aka in the cabin BIKANEL DESERT .................................................. 0.8 * speak everyone and eventually a cutscene follows * speak to the lady who shows up to start the next mission * easy mission (don't even bother with the white X's; just grab the yellow X and get out); mission complete NOTE: DON'T DO ANY EXTRA DIGGING HERE! ......................... SAVE GAME [20.0%] ......................... MOONFLOW ........................................................ 0.6 * enter via airship for a cutscene (you may want to save here) * go east from the save point and speak to Tobli; head south to find the Hypello * clear the mission (DO NOT LET ANY BANDIT RUN OFF WITH THE CARGO!) - first round has only one bandit - second round has two bandits (both coming from in front of you) - third round has two bandits (one behind you and one from the front) * return to Tobli for automatic events; obtain Gun Mage dress sphere * mission complete NOTE: DO NOT walk to Moonflow; there are two ways to start the "Shave the Hypello" mission and you DO NOT want to start it by meeting the Hypello on your way to Moonflow From Split Infinity: It's ok to walk to Moonflow so long as you DO NOT TALK TO THE HYPELLO. Ignore his cries for help, and get the mission from Tobli... then go help the hypello. FYI: Speaking to the Hypello and taking on the mission (i.e. if you head to Moonflow by foot from, say, Mushroom Rock) is another way to start the mission; however you won't get 100%. THUNDER PLAINS .................................................. 0.2 * enter by airship for a cutscene; optionally, you can enter from Guadosalam if you like CALM LANDS ...................................................... 0.2 * enter the Calm Lands by airship for a cutscene * start the Publicity Campaign (at one of the grey triangles on the mini-map) and the Marriage Campaign (at the travel agency); it does not matter which agent you pick or what response you give to the father who seeks marriage for his son (by start, I mean talk to them to enable this "mission") WARNING: TO MAKE YOUR GAME EXPERIENCE LESS STRESSFUL, TRY TO GET 400 PTS OR MORE BY THE TIME YOU'RE READY TO END CHAPTER 3!!! THE SOONER THE BETTER!! (There is a PR Guide on GameFAQs if you need some help.) ......................... SAVE GAME [21.0%] ......................... BEVELLE ......................................................... 0.6 * enter via airship and watch the cutcsene * go further in and speak to Baralai (cutscene with him at the front gates) KILIKA ISLAND ................................................... ?.? * enter via airship for a cutscene * visit Dona and watch the cutscene there (involves Barthello and Dona) * go inside Dona's house and speak with her NOTE: story completion percentage points are accounted for later, after Zanarkand WARNING: The next check point is the 30.0% mark!!! Use as many scratch save files as needed in case you forget to do something. - do any publicity and marriage advertising you want now (you'll need at least 400 points by the time you do the Calm Lands in chapter five) GET 400 PTS BY THE END OF CHAPTER 3 TO AVOID ANY POSSIBILITY OF HAVING A PROBLEM BY THE TIME YOU REACH CHAPTER 5 - there's a man in Kilika (due east of the save point once you enter by airship; you'll have to take the bridge over) who will let you check on the construction progress; take a peek with his scope every chapter (when possible) to get "Invincible" in chapter five; the guy is on a huge white boat and isn't the old ferry guy; make sure you actually see the construction - double check all Treasure spheres (i.e. watch them if you have not) DRESS SPHERE CHECKLIST - songstress (automatic) - black mage (after first Mt. Gagazet mission) - white mage (from Besaid) - gun mage (from Tobli, after saving the Hypello) - Full Throttle (Paine's special dress sphere; given by Tromell in Macalania Woods if you spoke to him FOUR times) OTHER THINGS TO DOUBLE CHECK - view the treasure spheres - have Clasko in the airship (pick him up from Mushroom Rock) - have O'aka on the airship ZANARKAND ....................................................... 1.8 * enter via airship * speak to Isaaru * go into Zanarkand dome and speak with Cid; respond with "You bet I do!" * talk to the guy next to Cid to release monkeys (do not interact with them or you will lose gil) * further in, you'll see a cutscene; respond with "Is that you, Isaaru?" * keep going in deeper and fight the boss; mission complete AIRSHIP CELSIUS ................................................. 0.2 * automatic cutscene; you are taken to Kilika Island KILIKA ISLAND ................................................... 1.6 * use a new scratch save file * visit Dona if you haven't already (make sure you talk to her) * during the mission, you will be given a chance to spy on the guards; when given to option to continue spying, choose to keep watching (this gives you two passwords: "Carved Monkey" for odd number of guards and "Craven Monkey" for even number of guards) NOTE: wait until ALL the guards are in place (some of them come in a few seconds later) Group 1: Craven Monkey Group 2: Carved Monkey Group 3: Craven Monkey Group 4: Carved Monkey (then more move in; Carved Monkey again) * beat the boss; mission complete --------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER II --------------------------------------------------------------------- AIRSHIP CELSIUS ................................................. 2.4 * automatic events * go to the Cabin and push (smallest first) all the musicians into the elevator (talk to Barkeep to reset the musicians if you mess up at any point) * watch the cutscene * return to the Bridge but do not decide to whom you give the sphere * rest in the Cabin * go to the Bridge and select Youth League and you will be taken to Mushroom Rock MUSHROOM ROCK ................................................... 1.0 * give the Awesome sphere to Nooj * automatic event returns you to airship AIRSHIP CELSIUS ................................................. 0.6 * automatic events (new mission to retrieve syndicate uniforms) * save your game with a new scratch save file BESAID .......................................................... 0.8 * talk to the blitzball players * Beclem shows up and will speak * go through the Gunner's Guantlet and defeat Beclem's challenge (the key is to not get hit and rack up lots of "chains"; once you reach the waterfall, just keep pressing "O" to get new lock targets and fire away -- the enemies will and should be off the screen; use a death ammo on the enemy with 10HP; move forward to pick up ammo but do not exit the waterfalls area until you have obtained about 650 points; this challenge is not hard if you take your time; save a death ammo for the part after the waterfalls area) * mission complete ......................... SAVE GAME [30.0%] ......................... DJOSE HIGHROAD .................................................. 0.4 * enter Djose Temple via airship and head south toward Mushroom Rock to eventually view a cutscene * continue toward Mushroom Rock and find a sphere (Yuna's secret dress sphere) * defeat the boss * mission complete GUADOSALAM ...................................................... 0.2 * ENTER BY AIRSHIP AND SPEAK WITH SYNDICATE GOONS FOR A CUTSCENE; TOO MANY PEOPLE EMAIL ME ABOUT NOT GETTTING THE NEXT CHECKPOINT BECAUSE THEY'RE SO EAGER ABOUT MAKING 90K GIL AND FORGET ABOUT THIS STEP -- TALK TO THESE GOONS AND GET THE CUTSCENE FIRST!!! *long sigh* NOTE: Save your game (scratch file if you want) because the next thing you want to do is earn 90,000 gil; you can do this after the Mi'hen Highroad event below if you're worried about the story completion percentage; if you don't have 10k gil, then come back after making tons of money at the Moonflow mission (see far below) DON'T SKIP TO MOONFLOW NOW... Just wait until you get there and complete that location (and double check you've gotten 34.0% upon completing the Luca section) -- then come back here to do this next part (it adds nothing to story completion, so you're ok) - before we start, double check that you've talked to the goons for the cutscene; several people have emailed me about wrong percentages because they forgot to get the cutscene (I realize that 90k gil sounds nice, but not at the risk of getting only 99.8% instead of 100% :P) - after you save your game, speak to the innkeeper and buy data from him for 10,000 gil; if you do the Moonflow mission and sold all 10 tickets, you should definitely have enough to by the data (the Moonflow mission is a bit later in this chapter) - he will then give you a clue about the data's buyer and if he says "It's the last person you'd expect, no question." then continue; otherwise reset and try again - once he gives the clue above, sell him the information for a big chunk of change: 100,000 gil - don't worry about O'aka's debt yet because that can take a bit of time; instead, try to complete the next section and check your progress; O'aka's debt is addressed soon after MI'HEN HIGHROAD ................................................. 1.4 WARNING: before you do the mission here, finish up the Publicity and Marriage campaign in this area first; start from the Mushroom rock entrance and work your way toward the travel agency (see the PR Guide at GameFAQs for more info as to how and why; you could optionally skip the PR campaign for Mi'hen as there are more than 1000 pts to be earned throughout the course of the game, and you only need 400 pts) * use a scratch save file (it's possible you'll need to restart the mission) at the travel agency; it should be a NEW scratch file in case you need to go back as far as the 30.0% checkpoint * talk to Calli (she's west of the travel agency) to start the mission - Phase One: Do not take any of the three side paths to which Rikku points unless you want some mediocre items - Phase Two: Try not to miss too much or you'll have to redo this part (you must succeed at guessing the chocobo's direction, but you must NOT actually catch it -- it is possible to catch it and end this mission here, but you do NOT want to do this!) * see a cutscene where Rikku falls once Phase Two is over and AFTER you follow Rikku a bit more (if you don't get this, reset your game and try again); Rikku will hop on top of a few ruins and point the way; the scene should occur at the set of ruins that has a circular path around it - Phase Three: move toward Luca and automatic scene occurs; if not then talk to the lady (marked by white/grey triangle on the mini-map) and have her use a hover to help you capture the chocobo; upon capturing the chocobo, you will then be placed on a timed mission * use a scratch file (again, you may need to restart) at the travel agency * make sure to reach Calli before the timer runs out; otherwise, do a soft reset and start again from the travel agency * beat the boss; DON'T PRESS ANY BUTTONS ONCE YOU BEAT THE BOSS * make sure you see Rikku along the bridge (this may happen while the mission complete screen is shown, so don't press "X" right away; if you don't see this, then just press "X" after a long wait; many people see this before the mission complete screen; see notes below) * mission complete * return to the travel agency (it's the default arrival spot if you go by airship) and pick up Clasko AND Calli NOTE: I don't recall exactly, but I vaguely remember seeing Rikku run after the rest of the party after they defeat the boss. The scene doesn't actually add toward story completion, but helps with making Rikku the culprit (you'll understand this later) FYI: Blaming Rikku will get you an item called Ragnarok; blaming the chocobo eater will also get you 100%, but you won't receive any prizes when this mystery is revealed in chapter 5. ......................... SAVE GAME [32.0%] ......................... CALM LANDS ...................................................... 0.8 * enter by airship and get a cutscene with Clasko; follow him to where he ran (Monster Arena, for those who have played FFX); if you don't get this scene, it's because you either messed up in Chapter One and forgot to pick Clasko up, or haven't picked him up from the travel agency at Mi'Hen Highroad in the section immediately above * speak with Clasko to start the mission - the first monster you fight is a Skink north and to the right of the save sphere - walk all throughout the dungeon WITHOUT TOUCHING ANY MONSTER and observe which direction each of them face; they are all looking at the next monster you fight -- all but one, which is the one you DO want to touch - after five such battles, talk to Clasko and win one last fight * mission complete; obtain Alchemist dress sphere * talk to Lian and Ayde at the travel Agency * capture a Chocobo before the end of Chapter 3; you should do this in the next section at the Thunder Plains as I found most of mine there; also, it seemed to me that using high-luck characters increased encounter rate with chocobos (this probably is not true to any extent, but a correlation I noticed during my game) THUNDER PLAINS .................................................. 0.2 * speak to Cid (he's marked on the mini-map); save your game and check that it's at 33.0% * attempt to calibrate the lightning towers; you don't need to be successful on all 10 (successfully calibrating any 5 towers and merely attempting the remaining 5 gets you a garment grid at the travel agency); speak to the Al Bhed by the save sphere near Guadosalam to enable this mini-game; how well you do at each tower affects the contents of treasure chests in chapter 5 - towers 1-4, and 6 are the easiest to calibrate - calibrating tower 10 gets you a Ribbon in chapter 5 * capture a Chocobo (get this out of the way here at the Thunder Plains) - have your Gyshal greens sorted so that they appear as the first item on your item list - when a chocobo appears in the battle, the first thing you do is feed it a Gyshal green; carefully defeat the other enemies and MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT ACCIDENTALLY HIT THE CHOCOBO (e.g. attack too fast and an enemy might die before all attacks are used; you will then hit the chocobo); you may want to occasionally feed the chocobo another Gyshal green if the battle takes too long - after killing off all other enemies, feed the chocobo one more Gyshal green to capture it NOTE: From now on, you should always be ready to capture a chocobo; you only need 14 of them; it's ok if you kill chocobos; the Calms Lands are the worst place for chocobos if you do not have the Lure Bracer (you get this later) since the random encounters are super low there ......................... SAVE GAME [33.0%] ......................... MOONFLOW ........................................................ 0.2 * sell tickets for Tobli (YOU MUST SELL ALL 10!); start from where you met the Hypello in Chapter One and work your way toward Guadosalam by passing through Moonflow (PLEASE READ THE NOTE AT THE END OF THE MOONLFOW SECTION!!!) THERE ARE MORE THAN 10 PEOPLE; YOU ONLY HAVE 10 TICKETS -- YOU WANT TO SELL TO PEOPLE WHO WILL PAY HIGHER (MORE PROFIT FOR YOU WHEN YOU'RE DONE); AGAIN, YOU MUST SELL 10 TEN TICKETS WHILE AT LEAST BREAKING EVEN (THOUGH YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE A LOT OF PROFIT FROM THE CHART BELOW) SELL ONLY TO THE PEOPLE MARKED WITH '*' * woman wearing pink/purple (left side of the road) 1500 - man wearing yellow on the right side of the road 200 * woman wearing red headband (south of Tobli) 1500 - woman with child (in Tobli's area) by water 1000 * woman in yellow (below save sphere) 1500 - man sitting on the bench (wearing orange) 1000 * old person sitting on dock steps in green 1500 * person in green left of little kid by steps any take the shoopuf across to the other side * kid in white, by steps and below Hypello 2000 * woman at the top of the ramp in a yellow dress 2000 - guard sleeping while standing in next area 500 * woman across of guard, left of Hypello any * man in blue/yellow on road to Guadosalam 1500 * man speaking to old lady by Guadosalam entrance 2000 * automatic event back at south bank with Tobli upon the 10th sale * speak to Tobli again for another cutscene (not sure about this one; you should be fine if you speak to him again and he responds through a regular dialogue box; I could be confusing this with events in chapter 3) NOTE: (From Jordan B.) Even if you do not sell all 10 tickets, you will still get 34.0% upon correctly completing Luca. HOWEVER, YOU WILL NOT GET EPISODE COMPLETE THAT IS REQUIRED IN CHAPTER 5. So make sure you SELL ALL 10!!! If you need some pointers, make sure that you made a profit of 12500 gil from this mission! Otherwise, redo this mission until you make such a profit! LUCA ............................................................ 0.8 * automatic scenes; get interviewed by Shelinda (it does not matter how you respond; I chose to keep things secret) * save your game on the airship to check that you've obtained 34.0% NOTE: at this point, you should work off O'aka's debt since you should have made that easy 90,000 gil in Guadosalam - buy 99 Phoenix Downs from O'aka - sell all 99 Phoenix Downs to Barkeep - repeat until his debt is gone (there's a counter at the top of the screen to help you keep track of how much debt is left) The reason for doing this is that a Phoenix Down costs 99 gil, for which you get back 25 gil so that you lose only about 75% of your gil (best deal out of all the items) Once you've purchased 100,000+ gil worth of items, O'aka will give you a huge discount. To make up the money you lost - buy all the items from O'aka and sell them all to Barkeep - repeat until you're happy with your gil amount - you'll need several million gil should you want to bribe your way out of some extremely tough bosses later on - DON'T FORGET TO RESTOCK 99 OF ALL 5 GIL ITEMS FOR YOUR OWN USE ONCE YOU'RE DONE GETTING GIL ......................... SAVE GAME [34.0%] ......................... MUSHROOM ROCK ................................................... 1.0 * go to the Den of Woe and get an event with Nooj as well as the Crimson Sphere 7 sphere (do not return to your airship just yet) * go to the Youth League headquarters and speak with Lucil and Elma for a cutscene * return to the airship and watch "Crimson Record 7" ......................... SAVE GAME [35.0%] ......................... MACALANIA WOODS ................................................. 1.4 * talk to the Hypello (walk toward the Shimmering Path to get him to show up) to start the mission - go to where you meat Tromell in Chapter One and speak to Bayra - find Donga on the Shimmering Path (jump through the circle of blue butterflies - find Pukutak at the south spring (area south of where you find O'aka hiding in Chapter One) - return to Bayra - mission complete (don't go back to the airship yet; go see the Hypello for your reward) ZANARKAND RUINS ................................................. 0.4 * talk to Isaaru inside the dome * do the "Operation: Monkey!" mission - there are 12 pairs; first find the single monkey with a heart icon floating by its head; pick him up and find his mate - repeat another 11 times - hint: the mate is has an "opposite" name (e.g. Golde and Sylva) KILIKA ISLAND ................................................... 0.2 * enter and try to walk into the village to trigger a cutscene; you cannot do anything else here ......................... SAVE GAME [37.0%] ......................... MOUNT GAGAZET ................................................... 1.0 * speak to Kimahri TWICE again choose the second option * repeat the steps in chapter 1 to console every Ronso (remember that there is a Ronso the Scar of Fayth) * make your way up the mountain (or use the Teleports to jump to the Scar of Fayth) and you will reach a point where you can climb the rocks to the right side * follow the goons for a bit; CONTINUE GOING HIGHER even after the goons enter a cave (there is a save point nearby, but I did not use it; I kept climbing higher) * witness a cutscene where the party looks DOWN at the hot spring; if you don't see this scene, then you should have traveled up a bit higher first * boss fight; mission complete (save game for 38.0% check) WARNING: the next checkpoint isn't until 46.0%, so you should save often!! NOW IS THE TIME TO DO SOME PR CAMPAIGNING -- REMEMBER, 400 PTS BY THE END OF CHAPTER 3 IS IDEAL (NOT NECESSARY, BUT YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID) DRESS SPHERE CHECKLIST - alchemist (obtained by completing the Chocobo ranch mission) - Floral Fallal (Yuna's special dress sphere; obtained from Djose Highroad during the hunt for the Syndicate uniforms) - Machina Maw (Rikku's special dress sphere; obtained from Bikanel during the hunt for one of the three Syindicate uniforms) OTHER THINGS TO DOUBLE CHECK - paid off O'aka's debt - caught a chocobo (Calli should be aboard the airship) ......................... SAVE GAME [38.0%] ......................... BIKANEL DESERT .................................................. 0.2 * talk to Nhadala * go to the Oasis and obtain Rikku's Machina Maw * boss fight; mission complete NOTE: DO NOT DO ANY DIGGING! AIRSHIP CELSIUS ................................................. 0.2 * upon getting the last Syndicate uniform, you get a small cutscene on the airship GUADOSALAM ...................................................... 3.4 WARNING: Last call for doing anything needed in this chapter! You * enter by airship and get a cutscene * after LeBlanc/Nooj cutscene, speak to Ormi and Logos - when you are doing your "assignment" for LeBlanc, make sure to fail the first attempt (i.e. succeed on the second try) so you get the Heady Perfume item (much needed / better item) - go back to where to originally spoke to Logos and Ormi to find the hidden passageway * get a cutscene involving Brother and Rikku * boss fight; then use the save sphere * find Crimson Sphere 10 (aka "Crimson Report 2") - find the Heady Perfume item (trust me, you'll want this item) * boss fight; use save sphere if you need to; then disarm the security system * enter LeBlanc's room; boss fight; mission complete AIRSHIP CELSIUS ................................................. 0.4 * automatic cutscenes discussing Bevelle BEVELLE ......................................................... 2.6 * complete the mission here - gun mages with Dismantler / Mech Destroyer are helpful if you plan on fighting - equip the Heady Perfume so you auto-replenish your MP - use the Charm Bangle to avoid random encounters (makes this mission go by faster) if you don't want to spend too much time on this mission * make sure to get the following (for use later in Chapter 5): - Downtrodder Garment Grid - Ribbon (helpful against upcoming boss whose attacks add Stop) - Wring accessory - Bloodlust accessory - the Dark Knight dress sphere DETAILS ON CLEARING BEVELLE - once inside Bevelle, go to the right hand side and hop onto a rectangular platform (opens the left side) - now go to the left hand side and touch the glowing pillar closest to the bottom of your screen - return to the main area and go straight toward the "lift" (it looks like a jetski floating midair); ride down - upon reaching the area with blue, patterned paths (there are some treasure chests here containing mediocre items), make your way to the left and top -- the treasure chests are to the right side and bottom side - upon going up the ramp, head to the right and you will end up (eventually) in a room with a save sphere - SAVE YOUR GAME BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY FORCED BOSS-LIKE BATTLES WHICH MAY BE TOUGH IF YOUR PARTY'S LEVELS ARE LOW (if you find that you cannot clear the upcoming mini-section, just fight in random encounters in the area leading to the save sphere) - move onward; cutscenes involving the LeBlanc crew will occur - once you enter what seems like a giant room, walk towards the ledge on the "upper" part of your screen and Yuna will slide down a chain -- talk to LeBlanc if you can't find it - this next part here is only as complicated as you want to make it; you'll notice that you are essentially walking around a circular area and that there are lightposts (some bright and others unlit) positioned around the circular area 1. go CLOCKWISE and up to each set of lightposts and up the steps to touch a glyph; a forced battle will occur each time you touch the glyph at each of the six sets of lights and steps 2. after having touched all six glyphs and winning all of the forced battles, you will essentially be at the spot where you first got here (via the sliding on the chains) 3. there should be six metal platforms appearing inside the gaping circular hole; the top three are immovable 4. position the bottom three to form a circular "staircase" using the following rules: (a) touching the glyph at the unlit lightposts will turn the lights red, and "select" one of the lower three platforms (any other red lights will turn off) (b) touching the glyph at the lit (blue) lightposts will move the selected platform clockwise, counterclockwise, or flip it to the opposite side (depending on which "blue" glyph you touch) -- Charm Bangle will make your trips much easier NOTE: a forced fight against a Precepts Guard or Georapella will always occur after any platform is moved 5. using the stairway you've created, go down to the bottom platform (sixth one) and eventually you'll end up "outside" and (barely) see the tiny treasure chest containing the Ribbon accessory 6. go back inside and take the passageway at the third platform - continue heading deeper into Bevelle, hopping onto any (tall) columns to trigger walkways where needed until you reach a room that triggers a cutscene with the LeBlanc syndicate (you should be in a room with giant machinery moving up, down, and around) - upon gaining control of Yuna, walk away from the machinery and toward the bottom-left corner of your screen to find a very big glyph on the ground; -- step on it to get an idea of what it can do (stops the machinery) - hop on and off the glyph and play around to get the machine to stop in a way that allows you to climb onto it; once you're on the machine, make your way up to the top and a cutscene occurs - now begins a mini-game that allows you to nab the Wring and the Bloodlust accessories 1. hop onto one of the ledges (several levels of them) and then have Rikku start the machine; Yuna should be standing to the far left or far right so that you can see level/floor she is on 2. stop the machine when the top of one of the cylinders is at about Yuna's head level (i.e. is between the floor Yuna is standing on and the floor immediately above her) 3. jump onto the machine and work your way around to one of the other cylinders and hope you can hop onto a different floor 4. keep tinkering around until you can get the Wring and the Bloodlust accessories (not required, but makes life a tad bit easier in Chapter 5); Wring is through the door at the lowest level while Bloodlust is close toward the top level - get off the machine and continue further inside Bevelle until you reach three lifts (those things that look like jetskis) - let's just call the left-side lift "L1", the middle lift "L2", and the right-side lift "L3"; ride L1 and then head down on your screen to jump down back to where L2 and L3 are sitting - ride L2 and hop onto the square block to activate platforms elsewhere - return to where L3 is and ride L3 up to the level where you left L1 (and a treasure chest) - take L1 back down to L2; ride L2 to yet another square block and activate it to raise more platforms located elsewhere - return to L1 and take L1 back up so that L1 and L3 are sitting on opposite sides of each other; find two square platforms and activate them; due north is yet a fourth lift; ride it to find yourself (eventually) at a save sphere - hop onto the pillars just slightly north and left of the save sphere to find a chest containing the Dark Knight dress sphere - save your game and prepare for TWO boss fights (you can save your game again between fights) NOTE: after getting the Dark Knight dress sphere, you will have one of only two opportunities to learn the Blue Bullet ability called Drill Shot during the first boss battle; to learn this, have the person you wish to learn it be the only one to interact with the boss; use that person to hit him and heal him so he doesn't die before he uses the ability; everone else should heal themself or other party members (lots of High Potions will be needed) * mission complete --------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER III --------------------------------------------------------------------- WARNING: MAKE SURE YOU DO THE CACTUAR SIDE-QUEST (FIRST SIX) BEFORE ENDING THIS CHAPTER BY COMPLETING DJOSE TEMPLE AFTER IT TURNS INTO A HOTSPOT; THIS WILL SAVE YOU LOTS OF BOOKKEEPING HEADACHES IN CHAPTER 5 -- READ THE CHAPTER 5 BIKANEL SECTION TO UNDERSTAND WHY YOU NEED TO DO THIS SIDEQUEST EARLY; THIS SIDE QUEST OPENS UP WHEN YOU REACH BIKANEL AIRSHIP CELSIUS ................................................. 0.8 * automatic scenes * sleep in the Cabin MUSHROOM ROCK ................................................... 0.4 * speak to Yaibal and Lucil ......................... SAVE GAME [46.0%] ......................... LUCA ............................................................ 0.8 * watch the cutscenes and enter the tournament * defeat two people at the game of Sphere Break * save your game * win a third game of Sphere Break and immediately face Shinra in you fourth and final game of Sphere Break (I hope you previously saved your game) * YOU MUST DEFEAT SHINRA (hopefully he won't use 1's for his cores and screw up your echo combos) * mission complete DJOSE TEMPLE .................................................... 0.2 * talk to Gippal for a short cutscene ......................... SAVE GAME [47.0%] ......................... GUADOSALAM ...................................................... 2.0 * speak to Logos and Ormi * talk to LeBlanc * speak to Logos and Ormi again; then go to Logos' room * cutscene in room where you previously found Crimson Sphere 10 * watch Ormi's and Logos' spheres * move to the right side of the bed and find the Gaol Sphere * talk to Maechen (DO NOT PRESS ANY BUTTONS JUST TO BE SAFE) * go to LeBlanc's room and obtain Crimson Sphere 4 (you have to find a spot where you can climb up -- this is the room in the "secret" area and not her normal room) * return to your airship and watch "Crimson Record 4" * view all other treasure spheres (just to be safe) ......................... SAVE GAME [49.0%] ......................... MI'HEN HIGHROAD ................................................. 0.6 * defeat the machina that are out of control - use the green spots on your mini-map to identify the people who need help or the machina that are out of control - Charm Bangle will make life easier - ignore the treasure chests for now - make sure you save more people than the opposing crew - there are two spots onto which you must jump to make a save; one is near the bridges area while the other is in the area leading to the spot where you saved Calli (press "O" to reach the group) - if possible, make sure you see Shinra place comm spheres as you pass the bridges and make your way toward the Mushroom Rock gate area * mission complete BIKANEL DESERT .................................................. 0.4 * talk to Nhadala * go to Cactuar Nation and talk to Marnela (several times if need be) and respond with "Makes perfect sense." (cactuar side-quest opens up) NOTE: DO NOT DO ANY DIGGING HERE!! The cactuar side-quest details are explained a bit later in this chapter (don't worry, I'll give you ample guidance) ......................... SAVE GAME [50.0%] ......................... MACALANIA WOODS ................................................. 0.8 NOTE: make sure you have paid off O'aka's debt before you start this mission * head to the travel agency and defend it * obtain the Berserker dress sphere inside the agency * you'll see a scene with O'aka as well * mission complete THUNDER PLAINS .................................................. 0.2 * speak to Lian and Ayde (I sent them to Kilika) * speak to Cid (southern part of the Thunder Plains; marked on the mini-map) ......................... SAVE GAME [51.0%] ......................... BESAID ISLAND ................................................... 2.0 * speak to Lulu * watch Wakka and Beclem talk; follow them to the temple * speak to Beclem inside * talk to Wakka inside the cloister * defeat the boss; mission complete ......................... SAVE GAME [53.0%] ......................... KILIKA ISLAND .................................................... 1.0 * talk to Dona * pass the gate unnoticed (not required but gets you nice item) * view the mini-scenes at each blocked passage and then a cut-scene where your party decides to go atop the trees * fight in a forced battle and then obtain the Samurai dress sphere * boss fight; mission complete NOTE: watch the progress of the the construction if you want "Invincible" in Chapter 5 AIRSHIP CELSIUS ................................................. 0.6 * automatic scenes MOONFLOW ........................................................ 0.2 * talk to Tobli (don't remember if I spoke to him more than once; you should talk to him twice, just in case) ZANARKAND ....................................................... 0.2 * talk to Isaaru * double check that you've finished the monkey mission here (make sure you can find 12 different pairs of monkeys with heart icons eminating from their heads) ......................... SAVE GAME [55.0%] ......................... CALM LANDS ...................................................... 0.4 * there are two choices; pick the one with the mission about people trapped in a cave at the gorge * take all those people inside the cave toward the exit; there are 15 of them -- the last 2 require items obtained by talking to the 13 you've already saved and who are waiting outside the cave NOTE: you will obtain the Besaid Key if you don't already have it; it's part of an unecessary sidequest * boss fight; mission complete * back on the airship, select the other Calm Lands spot and you will be dropped off at the travel agency -- make sure to watch Shinra place a comm sphere just slightly south of the save sphere * touch the chocobo by Shinra to get a quick trip to the Monster Arena and when you enter the chocobo stables, make sure you see Shinra place a comm sphere (follow him up the ramp and to the left) NOTE: use the Besaid Key in a side-quest to obtain the Raging Giant garment grid (can be used in the upcoming Mt. Gagazet battle to help you learn Mighty Guard blue bullet ability) BEVELLE ......................................................... 1.6 * make your way to the save sphere in deep Bevelle and watch a small cutscene featuring Gippal * continue further in toward the save sphere near where you got the Dark Knight save sphere; keep going until you reach the spot where you fought the second boss here to get a long cutscene * a forced battle ensues; obtain Crimson Sphere 1 * return to the airship and watch "Crimson Record 1" ......................... SAVE GAME [57.0%] ......................... MOUNT GAGAZET ................................................... 0.4 NOTE: the upcoming boss fight is best opportunity to learn Mighty Guard; if you adressed the Ronsos' concerns in the previous two chapters, the boss fight is much easier; use confusion on the entire opposing party and hope you learn Mighty Guard -- they may need your help replenishing their MP :) * talk to Kimahri (you should receive the Trainer dress sphere) * make your way up to the top of the mountain and turn on the teleport pads along the way (note, top of the mountain DOES NOT toward the hot springs; go through the Scar of Fayth to get to the top) * boss fight; mission complete WARNING: AT THIS POINT, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE DONE ALL OF THE TASKS LISTED BELOW - caught a chocobo - finished the monkey mission in Zanarkand - publicity/marriage campaigns (remember, your goal is 400 pts by the time you visit the Calm Lands in chapter five) - double check that there is a comm sphere at the travel agency in the Calm Lands - double check that there is a comm sphere in the chocobo stables up the ramp and to the left - catch the first six of the ten cactuars 1. Lobivia Oasis at Bikanel Desert 2. Tourneya Besaid beach 3. Lobeiria treasure room where you got Heady Perfume (see chapter two - Guadosalam) 4/5. Areq/Arroja Calm Lands gorge area (head south from Mt Gagazet save sphere) 6. Islaya Thunderplains (northern area) NOTE: you don't actually have to win the shootout; they'll come willingly so long as you go through the shooting mini-game; upon getting a cactuar, take him/her to his/her mother in Cactuar Nation (Bikanel hover ride) and speak to the next mother so that the next cactuar becomes available for capturing NEXT CHECKPOINT IS AT 63.0%! MAKE SURE YOU'VE AT LEAST CAPTURED LOBEIRIA AND RETURNED HIM TO THE CACTUAR NATION DO ANY CAMPAIGNING AND SHOOT FOR 400 PTS IF YOU CAN!! Chapter 4 has only ONE spot for PR campaigns -- Moonfloow; if you are short of 400 pts upon entering Chapter 5, the Calm Lands will NOT show up as a Hotspot until you get 400 pts (assuming you avoid it until you hit 400 pts). There are ways to still get it to become a Hotspot, but there is no reason to even discuss those possibilities if you have been diligent with the PR mission. DRESS SPHERE CHECKLIST - dark knight (obtained in chapter 2) - berserker (obtained by protecting the travel agency in Macalania) - lady luck (obtained by defeating Shinra at Sphere Break in Luca) - samurai (on the ground inside Kilika temple) - trainer (obtained from Kimhari if you answered him correctly in chapters 1 and 2) DJOSE TEMPLE .................................................... 2.2 * very simple mission; go straight back and up a lift * boss fight * obtain Crimson Sphere 2 and Crimson Sphere 3 * cutscene with Yuna; press "X" four times after Yuna says "I'm all alone..." (do it repeatedly and make sure you hear four whistles) --------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER IV --------------------------------------------------------------------- AIRSHIP CELSIUS ................................................. 3.4 NOTE: this is where ALL the guides are wrong (at least according to my own game); once you gain control of Yuna, you MUST find Paine on the Deck first in order for anything else to continue; the other guides have the right numbers, but the wrong order (and it's wrong because you don't have a choice but to see Paine on the deck first) * automatic scenes * sleep in the Cabin (may need to see Paine first) * talk to Paine up on the Deck * talk to Shinra at the Bridge to open up the comm spheres WARNING: for the comm sphere scenes you MUST trigger conversations with the relevant person or you WILL NOT get 100% -- make sure to NOT exit the comm sphere scenes until the conversation is over * watch comm sphere in Besaid and talk to Wakka * watch comm sphere in Kilika and talk to Dona * watch comm sphere at Mushroom Rock and talk to Yaibal * watch comm sphere in Bevelle and talk to Maroda (may need to turn the camera and pan around a bit) * watch "Crimson Record 2" and "Crimson Record 3" * talk to Buddy on the Bridge * talk to Paine on the Bridge ......................... SAVE GAME [63.0%] ......................... NOTE: the next parts are, in my opinion, extremely time consuming and for the most part quite boring... so try not to screw up AIRSHIP CELSIUS (COMM SPHERE PART I) .......................... [4.0] WATCH EVERYTHING EVEN IF IT DOES NOT GIVE PERCENTAGE POINTS!!! SOME SCENES MUST BE VIEWED IN ORDER TO ENABLE OTHER REQUIRED SCENES... NOTE: each location can have several different scenes so continue to select the same location until cameras either break or you see repeated scenes; sometimes zooming in all the way and focusing on certain things/people is required to trigger events WARNING: make sure you read through this entire section first and note all the tiny details; otherwise you may not earn the small story completion points; after reading it once, you can then proceed DO NOT EXIT FROM A SCENE UNLESS YOU'VE DONE PRECISELY WHAT IS REQUIRED!!! REQUIRED SCENES WHICH ARE NOT WATCHED ALL THE WAY THROUGH CANNOT BE RE-VIEWED AND HENCE COUNT AS SKIPPED SCENES! ONCE AGAIN, DO NOT EXIT UNTIL YOU'VE SEEN EVERYTHING DETAILED BELOW!!! If you don't know when to exit, listen for the background music. If the volume picks up, chances are the comm sphere may be exited at that point (this is not a guaranteed method, but is a good general rule). Only the required scenes will appear in the order listed in this guide; all other scenes will appear randomly (so watch them over and over until you see each of the scenes listed). BESAID (happens in precisely this order) [0.0] two children play hide and go seek; exit once you see the boy go look for his sister (if you get this scene again, it means you exited too early... so just wait longer before exiting) [0.0] eventually a dog sniffs the camera (exit when the dog is up close and is practically sitting next to the comm sphere) [0.2] talk to Wakka (you may have to zoom in on him to get him to speak; do NOT exit until you see him run off) [0.0] blitzball practice [0.0] more blitzball practice (pan left to see a blitzball mishap involving Keepa) [0.2] more blitzball; pan left to see Beclem criticize the Besaid Aurochs for playing blitzball [0.0] focus on the ball and eventually the camer gets hit KILIKA TEMPLE [0.2] zoom in on the temple entrance to see Barthello approach; once he approaches the camera, zoom in on his face (it may take some tweaking, but you MUST hear him speak and see him break the camera -- if you do not get him to speak, it is counted as a skipped scene and you WILL NOT get the 0.2% story completion) [0.0] dark screen KILIKA PORT [0.0] pan to the bottom right and zoom in; Dona comes in and talks about Lian and Ayde; she will pause a bit and then continue talking (Yuna will mention Barthello...); exit after a long period of silence [0.0] Dona takes the comm sphere around town; you'll see a balloon releasing scene; you will automatically be returned to the comm sphere menu [0.0] zoom in on Dona to hear her talk in her sleep; exit after some silence [0.0] same camera as the first scene; nothing to do here but pan around and look at the town [0.0] Dona's room is empty; nothing to do here - the last two scenes get repeated upon further viewings of Kilika Port LUCA [0.0] Shelinda interviews a woman (automatically exited) [0.0] Shelinda interviews a man (automatically exited) [0.2] Shelinda interviews another man who talks about bliztball (camera automatically exits) [0.0] comm sphere won't connect MUSHROOM ROCK [0.0] zoom in on guard and he gets annoyed; exit after a bit of silence from guard [0.0] zoom in on guard; he talks about the Youth League; exit after some silence from guard [0.0] zoom in on guard; he makes a sarcastic remark; exit soon after this [0.0] zoom in on guard; guard talks more about Youth League; exit after some silence from guard [0.0] zoom in on guard; guard mentions Lucil; exit after guard is silent [0.0] zoom in on guard; guard sits down; exit soon after this DJOSE TEMPLE [0.2] a man approaches and speaks in Al Bhed; let him finish and exit after he walks away [0.0] someone enters and talks about rumors of a fiend in Bikanel Island [0.0] another person enters and talks about the holes in the cloisters [0.0] man speaks to a woman on the right side of the screen [0.0] female stands in front of you and mumbles something about a password [0.0] comm sphere is stolen for parts ......................... SAVE GAME [64.0%] ......................... MOONFLOW (no particular order) [0.0] after a long while, a Hypello walks by and Yuna asks about Tobli [0.0] the Hypellos practice music [0.0] three Hypellos gather and have a private chat [0.0] Hypellos walking about, some waving their hands, others walk toward the wharf area GUADOSALAM [0.2] Ormi talks about LeBlanc; exit only after you see Ormi go back inside [0.0] nothing seems to happen (maybe the guards talk in private); but if you listen closely you will hear footsteps; eventually an Hypello approaches the guards [0.0] the guards talk about LeBlanc; Shinra makes a comment [0.0] the guards talk about the Syndicate and how they have no place to go if the Syndicate breaks up [0.0] the guards talk about their cowardly past [0.0] a female guard comes and goes inside, waving as the door closes [0.0] Ormi comes and does a pose; then he goes back inside THUNDER PLAINS [0.2] aim to the far right and zoom in on the Chocobo; you MUST trigger a conversation between Yuna and Shinra about his Choco Porter (to do this, zoom in on the chocobo that shows up; you may have to play with the camera to trigger this event) [0.0] look for a chocobo behind a lightning tower; once it walks out into view, zoom in on it to trigger a scene where the Choco Porter breaks down (again, zoom in and tweak the camera) [0.0] dark and distorted camera MACALANIA WOODS ENTRANCE [0.2] the three musicians talk about fading away (you may have to wait a bit and tinker with the zooming and centering) MACALANIA WOODS TRAVEL AGENCY [0.2] zoom in on the door; you must see O'aka and hear him talk about business being slow; exit when he goes back inside [0.0] zoom in on the door; O'aka sighs about not having customers [0.0] zoom in on the door; O'aka appears and talks about someone being gone a year [0.0] zoom in on the door; O'aka appears and practices his sales pitch [0.0] same as above but in Al Bhed [0.0] zoom in on the door; O'aka talks about Wantz [0.0] three different attack scenes (none give story completion) - flan - barbuta - flan and barbuta [0.0] no activity whatsoever BIKANEL DESERT EXCAVATION [0.2] speak to Nhadala; make sure she finishes saying everything including mentioning a new threat [0.0] diggers at work BIKANEL DESERT CACTUAR NATION [0.0] Marnela speaks; after a while, Yuna mentions how they need Benzo in order to understand anything ......................... SAVE GAME [65.0%] ......................... BEVELLE [0.0] soldiers shoot the sphere, and you only get a static image thereafter CALM LANDS TRAVEL AGENCY [0.0] watch this sphere 5 times, each time make sure you - zoom in on the father and center on him - zoom in on the son and center on him during the third time you view this comm sphere, focusing on the son, the father will console the son; during the fourth time, keep an eye on the father and watch him mess with a chest behind the agency (you MUST force this even through zooming and centering); the last/fifth time, fiends swallow up the comm sphere (all five times give no story completion but affect events later on) CALM LANDS CHOCOBO RANCH [0.0] Clasko pets the chocobo [0.2] Clasko talks to the chocobo and updates Yuna on affairs at the ranch [0.0] Clasko returns with a runaway chocobo [0.0] Clasko pets the chocobo [0.0] Clasko lies next to the chocobo MOUNT GAGAZET GATE [0.2] talk to Kimahri and DO NOT EXIT until you see him walk over toward the teleport pad [0.0] the female Ronso rubs Kimahri's back MOUNT GAGAZET HOT SPRINGS [0.0] a Ronso youth sits in the water and after a LONG bit of silence, he'll speak and then move away from the camera [0.0] at the lower right side of the spring, a cactuar appears and Yuna makes some comment about it; it then runs off [0.2] Tobli emerges from the spring; two females far away giggle and Tobli goes wild; he falls, then gets up and leaves (DO NOT EXIT UNTIL HE IS COMLETELY GONE); [0.0] zoom in on the blue spots and Hypellos will surface [0.0] shoopufs in the hot springs? how the hell did they even get up and then in there!? [0.0] a man swims alone; Yuna asks if this is it; exit after a long silence [0.2] turn to the right to see Buddy get a back massage; the scene ends automatically and you will see Buddy enter the Bridge and take his seat [0.2] O'aka practices his sales pitches NOTE: after exiting this scene, look at the top right of the comm sphere selection screen; does it say 66%? if not, you screwed up somewhere; if it says 66%, then you've hit the 66.0% mark -- save if you want ......................... SAVE GAME [66.0%] ......................... [0.0] Wantz spies on females (he will turn his back to them, but then sneak a peek) [0.2] Isaaru, Maroda, and Pacce are all together; make sure you listen to all of them speak; exit ONLY after a long period of dead silence [0.2] Lucil and Elma talk about Clasko; exit ONLY after a long period of dead silence [0.2] Maechen talks to a monkey; again, exit ONLY after silence [0.0] Clasko bathes with a chocobo; eventually he chases after it [0.2] Cid, Nhadala, and Rin talk; eventually Rin leaves, and Cid swims around; exit ONLY after a long period of silence [0.2] Dona complains about being alone; exit after she disappears [0.0] the place is empty ......................... SAVE GAME [67.0%] ......................... MI'HEN HIGHROAD [0.4] zoom in on the travel agency and Rin should appear; take on the mission to help him solve the mystery of Mi'Hen Highroad PHASE ONE - Ruins: and wait until a machina walks from behind the ruins; call Rin with the "O" button when it stops walking - Newroad: focus on the crowd and then call Rin PHASE TWO - Hover Crash Site: turn the camera to the bottom left and watch some machina surround the crashed hover; then call Rin over - Shinra's Commsphere: call Rin; if this fails (Rin will say he sees nothing out of the ordinary, continue the steps in Phase Two; otherwise jump to Phase Three) ONLY IF SHINRA'S COMMSPHERE FAILS - Front of Travel Agency: a baby chocobo eater chases a sea gull; call Rin as soon as you see the chocobo eater - Back of Travel Agency: after a woman approaches and messes with the station call Rin and she will run off - Newroad: a baby chocobo eater chases the hover; call Rin when you see the chocobo eater PHASE THREE - Front of Travel Agency: pan left and call Rin (even though he's already there, press "O" anyway) - Back of Travel Agency: look for a guy on the roof and then call Rin; the guy on the roof should fall off NOTE: If phase three does not end after you talk to Rin at the back of the travel agency, you've done something wrong and Rikku will NOT be found guilty; you can optionally have the chocobo eater as a culprit, but getting Rikku guilty and you get the Ragnarok accessory in chapter 5 MOONFLOW ....................................................... 0.8 NOTE: While you are doing the mission here, you should also do the PR campaign (it's the only place for PR points if you have not met the 400 pts minimum). * talk to Buddy on the airship and start the mission * chase after Tobli (use a Charm Bangle to avoid encounters) - you're dropped off at the road to Moonflow where you'll spot Tobli and speak with some men - chase Tobli toward Moonflow and head into Moonflow toward the save sphere; talk to the men blocking your path, and then head back toward the south road (toward where you were dropped off) - speak to every man who got tired out and eventually Tobli will show up on a ... scooter? - chase him back toward the banks of Moonflow - talk to the people near the save sphere to find out he's gone across the river - chase after him all the way toward Guadosalam * view a cutscene just outside Guadosalam * mission complete AIRSHIP CELSIUS ................................................ 1.0 * save your game first * go to the Cabin to rehearse with Rikku - look at ONLY the icon on Rikku's side of the screen - note what icon shows up and press that button as fast as you can until the icon changes to a new button; swith to the new button and again press it as fast as you can... keep doing this until you get the "Smooth Shailing" item (like a Ribbon, except it has Slow added) NOTE: do not go to the Thunder Plains yet; you have more comm spheres to watch AIRSHIP CELSIUS (COMM SPHERE PART II) ......................... [2.4] BESAID [0.2] zoom in and focus on Belcem's head for a conversation [0.2] speak with Wakka and Lulu [0.0] Yuna speaks with the Besaid Aurochs [0.0] Aurochs interview Wakka [0.0] another Wakka interview (discussing gender of the baby) [0.0] Wakka paces around KILIKA PORT [0.2] Dona practices an apology, then there is a pause, and then she decides that's not her style (DO NOT EXIT DURING THE BRIEF PAUSE) [0.0] Dona practices chastising Barthello [0.2] Dona ties the comm sphere to a balloon; Shinra despairs; comm sphere automatically exits NOTE: you should now be at the comm sphere selection screen; if the top right shows 70%, then you've hit the 70.0% mark -- save ......................... SAVE GAME [70.0%] ......................... KILIKA (no longer has two options) [0.2] zoom in and focus on Barthello and make sure to watch up to and including the part where he yells "Dona!" and breaks the comm sphere; Shinra will make a comment LUCA [0.0] Shelinda promotes the concert [0.0] one of the follow scene plays (continue to watch Luca until you've seen each of the following: - blitzball team running around statue - blitzball team running up/down steps to Mi'Hen (Logos will show up) - Hypellos gather people to promote the concert - bad signal MUSHROOM ROCK [0.2] speak with Lucil [0.2] speak with Yaibal [0.0] Yaibal calls his squad for a mission [0.0] focus on guard at the left; he complains about everyone leaving [0.0] focus on guard at the left; he wants to go to the concert [0.0] pan left and pause there for a second; then pan right and focus on Lucil (behind the Hypello) and watch her leave MOONFLOW [0.2] pan left and zoom in and focus on Elma to trigger a scene with Elma (the Hypellow won't let her and her chocobo ride on the shoopuf); there will be a pause and now you MUST get Elma to come toward the comm sphere and trigger a fairly long conversation (again, tweaking the camera might be needed in order to trigger the conversation; focus/zoom on Elma) [0.0] an Hypello makes a report... wait for a while and a shoopuf comes by; its droppings cover the comm sphere and Shinra comments on how that's not funny [0.0] messed up signal GUADOSALAM [0.2] Ormi talks about the concert [0.0] several possible scenes with goons (try to view them all) - Hypello tries to get the goons to see the concert - fem-goons talk about the concert and LeBlanc - fem-goons talk about hijacking the concert - Yuna vs LeBlanc debate - (anything that happened during the previous comm views) THUNDER PLAINS [0.0] people gathering around ......................... SAVE GAME [71.0%] ......................... MACALANIA WOODS ENTRANCE [0.0] Pukutak bids farewell [0.0] and so does Donga [0.0] as well as Bayra [0.0] an amorhpous gel apears in front of two Guados MACALANIA TRAVEL AGENCY [0.2] O'aka talks about the concert [0.0] any one of the previous scenes from the first part will show hereafter -- keep watching until scenes start to repeat BIKANEL DESERT CATUAR NATION [0.0] silent area BIKANEL DESERT EXCAVATION [0.0] speak to Nhadala; explosion wipes out signal MOUNT GAGAZET [0.0] Garik talks about uniting Ronso youth [0.0] Ronso youth says he's going to the concert [0.0] comm sphere covered in snow; pan around and a female Ronso will wipe it off; Shinra makes a comment [0.0] Kimahri makes a new oath [0.0] female Ronso talks about Kimahri [0.0] Garik talks about future of Ronso youth [0.0] Kimahri gets a back rub ZANARKAND [0.2] Isaaru talks with Yuna about the concert [0.0] Isaaru and Yuna talk about Maroda and Bevelle [0.2] Isaaru questions himself (you can barely see him if you turn the camera to the far left) [0.0] an Hypello promoting the concert THUNDER PLAINS .................................................. 0.4 * clear mission (enter a cave at the southern part of the Thunder Plains) * boss fight; mission complete ......................... SAVE GAME [72.0%] ......................... AIRSHIP CELSIUS ................................................. 3.6 NOTE: the next save checkpoint is at 79.0%, but there's nothing to do except talk to people and watch cutscenes so no worries * talk to Rikku until she responds with regular dialogue boxes * DO NOT TALK TO SHINRA * talk to everyone else until they respond with dialogue boxes * now head over to Shinra and trigger a scene about the crowd outside * watch the scene with Tobli * talk to Tobli to start the concert * watch the concert * once you're back on the Bridge, speak to Maechen * DO NOT TALK TO SHINRA (YET) * go see LeBlanc in the Engine Room and obtain Crimson Sphere 5 * OK, now talk to Shinra to trigger a scene --------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER V --------------------------------------------------------------------- AIRSHIP CELSIUS ................................................. 2.0 * watch "Crimson Record 5" * speak to Buddy on the Bridge * sleep in the Cabin; when you wake up, walk toward the railing to trigger a scene with Brother and Barkeep (this won't happen if you did not sleep in the Cabin in each of the previous chapters) * head to the engine room and go to the far end (keep pressing against the giant gears) and trigger a scene with Buddy ZANARKAND RUINS ................................................. 0.8 * episode complete * speak to Maechen * go into Zanarkand and toward the dome; you should see a message about Isaaru having returned to Bevelle, and that you cannot go further in -- if you don't see this message when you try to get inside the dome, then you've done something wrong (perhaps not finishing the monkey mission here, or not getting the story points in Zanarkand during chapter four) LUCA ............................................................ 0.6 * cutscene involving blitzball; I chose to take part, but then canceled out of the next screen * go to the save sphere near Mi'Hen Highroad and walk toward the railings to trigger a cutscene * follow the Moogle around for more cutscenes (the last spot is at the first, left dock) * episode complete ......................... SAVE GAME [79.0%] ......................... KILIKA ISLAND ................................................... 1.0 * go to the gate by the forest to trigger a cutscene * head toward the temple (beyond the forest) for more scenes * episode complete ......................... SAVE GAME [80.0%] ......................... BESAID .......................................................... 1.8 * follow Wakka and speak to him at the temple * go to the waterfalls and obtain Twilight Rain (not part of the story completion, but nice to have) * go to the beach and say good-bye to Beclem; obtain the War Buddy sphere * find Wakka on your way back to town and talk to him * village celebration * episode complete MI'HEN HIGHROAD ................................................. 0.2 * watch the cutscenes; hopefully Rikku is found guilty * episode complete * return to Mi'Hen Highroad and ride the chocobo just past the bridges area; one the left side of the road is a stone pillar and some plants immediately south of the pillar; stand between the plants and wait for a long while to be given an option to hop up to a treasure chest containing a Phoenix Down (may take a really long time for the options window to appear); exit this area and return here and do the same thing to find the Victor Primoris item (not required for story completion, but a nice item to have) ......................... SAVE GAME [82.0%] ......................... THUNDER PLAINS .................................................. 1.0 NOTE: make sure you've already obtained Victor Primoris before completing this area * clear mission by defeating all the enemies at each lightning tower * boss fight at the 10th lightning tower * an Al Bhed can take you down the newly formed hole; go down there and save Cid * return to the airship and go up to the Deck; Cid will say a few words and then go back into the airship * go to the Bridge and watch the cutscene there - return to the Thunder Plains (and go back to where you saved Cid and do the side quest there for some helpful items); make sure to equip the Charm Bangle -- it will make your life MUCH easier; this is not needed for story completion, but the items you get will be useful in Bevelle; Paine's special dressphere upgrade is in here ......................... SAVE GAME [83.0%] ......................... BEVELLE ......................................................... 1.8 NOTE: this will be very difficult; if you feel you need to level up a bit first before entering Bevelle, do so at the Thunder Plains side-dungeon (see section immediately above) and use Lure Bracer; all the battles here should net around 1,000 EXP and at 3 AP per battle assuming all you do is attack) * episode complete * return here to gain access to Via Infinito * enter Via Infinito and grab Crimson Sphere 6 after a cutscene * (after clearing Via Infinito) watch Crimson Record 6 and Crimson Record 8 on the airship NOTES AND WARNINGS: DO NOT SKIP THE ANIMATION OF THE BOSSES CHANGING INTO THEIR REAL FORMS OR YOU WILL LOSE STORY COMPLETION POINTS - Charm Bangle does not work - Ribbon works except on one certain boss at the 80th floor or whenever you re-encounter this boss deeper within Bevelle via a random encounter - try to save every 5 levels or so (you save by entering a blue circle, which takes you out of the dungeon; save, and then hop back into the dungeon by selecting to return to the deepest cloister reached) - every map has a blue circle for exiting (some require tough battles) - all the items referred to will be in your inventory if you follow the guide up to this point - you can always save at the boss-level floor by exiting and be returned to that floor; in fact, you will regret not doing so FLOORS 1-19 - fight everything and try to get lvl 3 Trigger Happy with ALL three characters - next, work on mastering Charon (Dark Knight); you'll want two fully mastered Dark Knights by the 80th floor (for the high defense and magic defense) - kill everything but avoid the traps where dragons pop in and out (these are Elder Drakes and they will crush you fast!) - once you've mastered the Dark Knights, switch over to Lady Luck and learn Double EXP to level up faster (Lady Luck can hit for HIGH damage, so don't think this dress sphere sucks) FLOOR 20 BOSS: ARANEA - 18280/33394 HP, 178 MP - just attack like crazy and heal when low on health; he's super easy and should be a breeze * obtain Crimson Sphere 8 (view later); you can optionally view it now if you're dieing to see what's inside - EXIT AND SAVE NOW!!!! FLOORS 21-39 - again, kill everything along the way and avoid Elder Drakes - DO NOT engage any Mega Tonberries (very rarely a map will have a Mega Tonberry sitting around) FLOOR 40 BOSS: BLACK ELEMENTAL - 9999/10998 HP, 2380 MP - equip one mastered Dark Knight with Highroads Wind garment grid and a Crystal Bangle - the other two should also have Highroads Wind garment grid and wear Lady Luck dress spheres (for the double EXP; it won't be much, but better than nothing) - at the start of the battle, use the Dark Knight's Charon and end the fight before it even starts :P VITAL NEW ITEMS: Speed Bracer, Cat Nip - EXIT AND SAVE NOW!!!! NOTE: from here on out is a quick way to level up as you work to floor 100 - have one person equip Highwind Roads GG, Cat Nip, and Speed Bracer; this person should be a Gunner with the least number of abilities learned - one other person should also be on the Highwind Roads or Valiant Lustre (use what you feel fits you best) - the last person should use something like Valiant Lustre GG, Ribbon, and Heady Perfume - have 99 Phoenix Downs - switch out the gunners if you want; the important thing is to remember that leveling up is more important than learning new abilities (you can do that later) - I recommend Lady Luck with Double EXP for the two non-gunners CAT NIP PREPARATION - first, equip the gunner with Wring and Bloodlust (lower's HP) and then re-equip Cat Nip and Speed Bracer (this puts them in SOS state) - DON'T EVER HEAL YOUR GUNNER, AND REVIVE YOUR GUNNER USING PHOENIX DOWNS ONLY (otherwise you might raise them with too much HP) FLOORS 41-59 - again straightforward; I got by without using a Cat Nip'ed gunner - now is when you want to be cautious, especially when entering areas that are initially hidden by the camera because a Mega Tonberry might be waiting, or an Elder Drake at the bottom of a steep drop - remember that if it gets too rough, you can always escape - use your character with the Heady Perfume to heal up after each battle; their MP auto-replenishes as you walk FLOOR 60 BOSS: CONCHERER - 343280/360444 HP, 170 MP - prepare your speedy Cat Nip'ed gunner - the other two should be well defended Dark Knights (high defense is a definite must) - have the dark knights use Phoenix Downs to revive your gunner; otherwise use High Potions to keep their own HP high - this should be fairly easy to do within a try or two - EXIT AND SAVE NOW!!!! FLOORS 61-79 - most of the enemies here are similar to ones in the extra Thunder Plains side dungeon - once you get to around Floor 75, you might be at a map where you MUST kill the Tonberries and Mega Tonberries to proceed; you can optionally find the exit (rotate the camera), leave, and save your game; when you return, the level may have changed to an easier map - try to level up by killing the Ultima and Omega Weapons in this area since they give tons of EXP; once you're satisfied, make your way toward floor 80 FLOOR 80 BOSS: CHAC - 437850/459743 HP, 820 MP - sort your items and put Soft up at the top; you'll need it - also have Pheonix Downs up at the top, too - I had three gunners all on Highroad Winds GG; my main gunner was put into yellow health, then equipped with Cat Nip and Speed Bracer - the other two gunners had on defense and HP boosting accessories such as Crystal Bangles and Crystal Gloves - start the battle have have the first person use Trigger Happy and PREPARE to start the next Trigger Happy when the first one is almost up; after the second round of Trigger Happy, use your last gunner's Trigger Happy; you want to use these abilities sequentially, and not simultaneously (the idea is to delay the boss with an endless attack so that your non-shooting gunners have time to recharge); you should get about 2-3 rounds with your main gunner before Chac starts to actually get a move on your team - Chac's first attack is either Stoney Glare or hitting hard (its normal attacks add Stone); YOU MUST use soft before Chac gets a second turn; otherwise, you will either lose a party member for the rest of the battle or worse all three will die from Heaven's Cataract - keep Chac busy on trying to stone your party and have your Cat Nip'ed gunner do a few more rounds to finish this boss; if she dies, use Phoenix Downs only so she comes back in yellow health NOTES: even Ribbons will NOT work here and your characters will STILL get turned to Stone; Chac likes to Stone a character, then attack either the stoned character the next round and thereby completely removing them from battle, or hit super hard on the person who is not stoned and has the most HP (usually killing her); Chac may even use Heaven's Cataract for hefty damage; the key is that she will only do major attacks if at least one party member is stoned; so your goal is to continue using Soft on whomever is stoned and this will keep Chac busy (she'll stick to using mostly Stoney Glare) - EXIT AND SAVE NOW!!!! FLOORS 81-99 - you MUST have a prepared and Cat Nip'ed gunner on Highroad Winds AND you MUST have one other person on Highroad Winds GG (so you can escape and not get ambushed) - escape your two non-gunners; the Cat Nip'ed gunner should make an attemp to use Trigger Happy and get some EXP; most of the battles here you will lose if you try to stay and fight - save often FLOOR 100 BOSSES: PARAGON - 200000 HP, 9999 MP TREMA - 999999 HP, 999 MP - one gunner on Highroad Winds with yellow health and wearing Cat Nip and Speed Bracer - the remaining girls should have Valiant Lustre, defense and HP boosting accessories, and be mastered Dark Knights - sort your items so that Pheonix Downs and Mega Phoenixes are at the top; also have High Potions and X-Potions at the top for fast access as well - lastly, have Mana Springs and any MP draining items sorted to the top for fast access - when fighting Paragon, two rounds of Cat Nip and the battle is over; your Dark Knights should use High Potions and/or X-Potions on themselves EVEN IF THEIR HP IS MAXED (they need to survive the Genesis attack) - you start off with the same HP against Trema as when you beat Paragon so you've been warned - when figting Trema, use Mana Springs and the gunner's Target MP ability to drain Trema; HE CAN STILL CAST METEOR WITH 0 MP SO STAY ALERT!!!! (6 or 7 Mana Springs should do it) - after his MP is drained, use the gunner to kill Trema; the Dark Knights are only there for support - EXIT AND SAVE NOW!!!! * NOTHING WILL HAPPEN AFTER YOU SEE THE FINAL SCENES AFTER YOU KILL TREMA; THIS IS NORMAL -- there is no episode complete when you defeat Trema; the hotspot that was once at Bevelle is simply gone when you check back at your airship (after having watched the two Crimson Spheres) MOUNT GAGAZET ................................................... 1.2 * talk to Kimahri and then follow him up the mountain * watch the cutscene with Kimahri and Garik * episode complete * return here and head south to the Calm Lands gorge; inside the cave where you fought a boss is Yuna's Aurora Rain -- not needed for story completion, but nice to have ......................... SAVE GAME [86.0%] ......................... MOONFLOW ........................................................ 0.4 * speak with Tobli and go onstage * episode complete MACALANIA WOODS ................................................. 0.6 * visit the north spring and talk to the Guado for a cutscene * visit the south spring for another cutscene * episode complete * return here and go to the travel agency to trigger a cutscene with O'aka * episode complete ......................... SAVE GAME [87.0%] ......................... MUSHROOM ROCK ................................................... 3.0 * clear mission here; espisode complete * grab Machina Reactor by the lift up to Youth Leauge H.Q. * go to Youth League headquarters and up on one of the balconies is a cutscene where you'll get Nooj's sphere * return to the airship and view the "Deathseeker" treasure sphere * go to the Den of Woe and clear this dungeon NOTE: you have ONLY ONE opportunity for your Gun Mages to learn Mortar from Gippal here!!! (if you didn't get Drill Shot from Baralai, this is the LAST chance you have) ......................... SAVE GAME [90.0%] ......................... DJOSE TEMPLE .................................................... 0.8 BIKANEL DESERT .................................................. 1.2 NOTE: these two are intertwined, so by the time you finish both, you should have 92.0% * go to Djose Temple and fight Experiment (its level should NOT be 5/5/5; if you avoided digging then the level is likely 1/1/1 or very close to that) * grab a repair manual (room left of the steps in the main lobby of Djose Temple) and give it to the guy in the room where the borken Experiment lies * go to Bikanel Desert and clear the Cactuar-finding mission THE REMAINING CACTUAR 7. Chiapa Kilika Woods treetop (near save point by temple footsteps) 8. Erio Mt Gagazet (he's on the path south of the entrance to the Scar of Fayth by a ledge) 9. Bartschella Dona's house in Kilika 10. Frailea (talk to Marnela after talking to Frailea's mother; enter Cactuar Hollow) NOTE: I hope you already cleared at least the first 6 before you ended Chapter 3; in particular, if you have not found the 3rd cactuar, then you have just screwed yourself on the 92.0% story completion checkpoint because you'll have to visit Guadosalam, which triggers some events and adds to the completion (i.e. you will have more than 92.0% by the time you clear Djose and Bikanel so the 92.0% checkpoint is no longer reliable -- which means you have to hope that by the time you reach the 95.0% mark, your save file will show 95.0%; this isn't bad, but you don't get the assurance of having completed Djose/Bikanel correctly via the 92.0% checkpoint) * save your game (in case you don't win the shootout against Frailea) inside the hollow * find Freilea inside the Cactuar Hollow (you may need to speak to Marnela after speaking to Freilea's mother in order to obtain access to the hollow); try your best to defeat Frailea to get an extremely useful garment grid (double AP and double EXP) * boss fight deep inside Cactuar Hollow * save your game before exiting Cactuar Hollow NOTE: if you want to learn 1000 Needles, do it now since your only other opportunity is back at Via Infinito (extremely rare random encounters without the Lure Bracer) * mission complete; RETURN TO YOUR AIRSHIP * prep up for fighting Angra Mairyu; then defeat the boss - Cat Nip and Speed Bracer on a gunner; two Dark Knights - high defense (and auto-reflect if you have it) on the other two characters; Ribbon might be helpful) - use High Potions and X-Potions to heal; Phoenix Downs for KO - this should be cakewalk compared to Chac * Bikanel epsiode complete * return to Cactuar Nation and talk to Benzo for a cutscene * talk to Frailea's mother to "finish" up * dig in Bikanel and get at least 13 attack parts, 13 defense parts, and 13 special assembly (Central Expanse is not open until events from Calm Lands) NOTE: If you haven't already dispatched a chococobo to Bikanel, then you can send one there (warning, you will lose it for good no matter what) and the Central Expanse opens up. It's the best place to dig since you'll be on a chocobo (the one you sent). * go to Djose and check on Experiment (it should be at level 5/5/5 and out of control -- small cutscene) * defeat Experiment again NOTE: one-time opportunity to learn Annihilator blue bullet * Djose episode complete ......................... SAVE GAME [92.0%] ......................... CALM LANDS ...................................................... 0.4 NOTE: DO PUBLICITY/MARRIAGE CAMPAIGNING BEFORE YOU ENTER THE CALM LANDS!!! MAKE SURE YOU HAVE 400+ PR POINTS * episode complete - return to the travel agency and talk to the father by the save sphere for a reward (assuming you did the marriage campaign and earned enough points) - grab the 50000 gil in the chest behind the agency * find the Amazing Chocobo - you should have 14 chocobos - save your game - find the lvl cap for all chocobos by raising their level and make note of the lvl caps; - reset your game; if you do not have 4 chocobos which can be raised to lvl 5, release about 6 chocobos starting with the ones with the lowest level caps; put the ones which you can raise to lvl 5 on the runner list - having a full stable increases your chanes of chocobos coming back from a dispatch - capture more chocobos until you have 4 which you can raise up to level 5 - save your game WARNING: DO NOT DISPATCH TO BIKANEL (YET)!!!! If you have not sent a chocobo to Bikanel yet, then doing so now will open the Central Expanse area (for digging) at the cost of losing the chocobo you sent. Now is not the time to lose a chocobo that can be raised to level 5 (catching such a chocobo is more or less a crap shoot and can be quite tedious if you are unlucky). Avoid it until you've opened up the chocobo side dungeon. If you already sent a chocobo to Bikanel some other time ago, then it's ok to dispatch there -- but it's best to just wait until you finish finding the chocobo side dungeon. DISPATCH CHART CHOCOBO NATURE LOCATIONS FOR DISPATCH Timid Kilika, Thunder Plains Normal Besaid, Moonflow, Macalania Bold Djose Temple, Calm Lands 1. send out 4 level 1 chocobos (use the dispatch chart above) only three are needed, but four gives more items, obviously 2. fight 8 battles; return to the ranch and save your game on preferrably a new save file 3. talk to Clasko and hope they all return; if not reset, reload, and then talk to Clasko again until they all return (if you sent one to Bikanel, it's gone for good no matter how much you reset -- sending one to Bikanel opens up the Central Expanse digging spot; so don't send one there until after you find the entrance to the Amazing Chocobo dungeon) 4. refresh your chocobos and raise their levels 5. repeat steps 2 thru 4 until you are about to raise the chocobo levels up to lvl 5 chocobos; i.e. repeat steps 2 thru 4 until you have dispatched lvl 4 chocobos and they've all returned safely to the ranch 6. save your game after you refresh your chocobos and raise them to lvl 5 (you need FOUR lvl 5 chocobos) 7. dispatch 3 lvl 5 chocobos and fight 8 battles (again avoid Bikanel for dispatch) -- you can send four if you want more items, only three are required 8. save your game and check with Clasko and make sure they all return; otherwise, reset and re-talk to Clasko 9. if they all returned, save your game (nothing will happen yet, except that they've all returned) 10. either exit the ranch and return, or do a soft reset/load and you will trigger a cutscene where Clasko mentions a new dungeon in the back of the ranch (you do NOT have to send lvl 5 chocobos out a second time) * when you enter the newly found dungeon, USE AN FAQ and equip the Charm Bangle (just in case) -- grab all the items here (Rikku's Machina Reactor and the AP Egg among other really nice items) before you open the door to the Amazing Chocobo (you may have to defeat the boss here first before you can grab all the items; just make sure you grab the items before opening the final door to the Amazing Chocobo; you CAN return here later on, so no worries) * boss fight; discover Amazing Chocobo; episode complete NOTE: you can now dispatch to Bikanel (you'll lose this chocobo) to open the Central Expanse digging area in Bikanel; there's also a dungeon to find at Mi'Hen Highroad as well -- requires lvl 5 chocobo but not needed for story completion GUADOSALAM ...................................................... 1.2 * automatic cutscenes * talk to Tromell for more scenes * episode complete (you'll be returned to the airship and get Mascot; see section below) * return here again and speak to Tromell * grab Baralai's sphere * watch Baralai's sphere on the airship AIRSHIP CELSIUS ................................................. 0.6 * automatic scenes (obtain Mascot; this happens after Guadosalam's episode complete) * go back and finish Guadosalam's events * select a destination by talking to Brother NOTE: this occurs after Guadosalam's episode complete; if you've done everything there is to do except to tell Brother where you want to go to reach the Farplane, then your save file will only show 93% -- there's more story completion after you select your starting point toward the Farplane; a boss fight will occur and you will be given a chance to save (now you should see 94%) FARPLANE ABYSS .................................................. 0.8 * boss fight and save sphere (save file should show 94%; see note above -- your actual percentage is 94.2%) * two more boss fights * cutscene with LeBlanc and crew in Farplane glen (approach them and talk to them if it's not automatic) ......................... SAVE GAME [95.0%] ......................... AIRSHIP CELSIUS ................................................. 1.0 * return to the airship and talk to Shinra * go to the Deck (twice) and the second time will show a cutscene (Buddy and Brother have to get to the Deck without you somehow knowing about it, so they can't already be there the first time you visit the Deck since they'd have to come from the Bridge); you could also trigger this scene by talking to Buddy to open the navigation menu, and then cancel the navigation menu; after canceling from the navigation menu, Buddy and Brother will be missing from the bridge -- so go talk to them on the Deck * go to the Cabin for another cutscene (it does not matter how you respond) * talk to Buddy and cancel out of the navigation menu; Rikku will be missing from the Bridge; you may have to do this a few times until Rikku disappears from the Bridge; another way to get her to disappear from the Bridge is to save your game and repeatedly do soft resets until she's gone * go to the Deck to trigger a cutscene with Rikku * save your game on the airship for the 96.0% checkpoint - talk to Brother (not Buddy) for a shortcut to the Farplane Abyss NOTE: you do not have to go to the Farplane Glen and immediately return to the airship as suggested by many of the other guides; you just need to force a "black screen" (such as opening the navigation screen and canceling out of it by talking to Buddy); upon doing so, the people who need to be gone from the Bridge will indeed be gone ......................... SAVE GAME [96.0%] ......................... WARNING: NOW IS THE TIME TO GO AND DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!!!! If you are dying to see the ending, just beat the game and come back to the 96.0% save file - GG via Sphere Break against the lady with her dog - GG via Sphere Break against Shinra - GG via getting to Farplane Glen using each one of the holes - GG via oversouling all monsters (one of which nets you a Speed Bracer, bringing you a total of 3; it's Lacerta floor 81+ in Via Infinito) - open Mi'hen side dungeon by sending a lvl 5 chocobo there and having it come back (some really nice items) - Thunder Plains side dungeon if you haven't already done the mini-game here (an item appears if you do it twice) - GG via chest in Bikanel (find Desert Key in Central Expanse) - GG by doing the 13 monkey quest (lady to the right of the ferry man in Kilika) - GG by visiting Lian and Ayde at Mt. Gagazet (they're running around a certain statue *wink*) - GG by using Besaid Key and Search Sphere in Besaid - play blitzball (I didn't play a single game) - play Calm Land games (I didn't play a single game) - master any dress spheres (use AP Egg or Covenant of Growth GG); kill the vermin in the Mi'hen side dungeon for fastest results; Via Infinito is also good -- using Lady Luck will get you lots of drops and gil for your New Game+ - dig up any Al Bhed Primers you missed earlier in the game; they will all end up at Bikanel - get Adamantite from Gunner's Gauntlet mini-game - GG from Gunner's Gauntlet (lvl 6 reward) - GG from oversouling every oversoulable monster - GG from dispatching a chocobo with less than 100 heart and having it return safely with no items - the following is from Alan Learmonth: two GGs from the Calm Land agencies (there's one from each company; you may need tons of credits; also, you must have level 5 PR for each company -- you'll either need to do a new game, or play enough games from each company and raise your PR level); refer to the PR guide for more info NOTE: I _think_ that about sums it up -- i.e. after that I'm not sure there is anything left to do in this game :P FARPLANE ........................................................ 4.0 NOTE: equip Charm Bangle and have a speedy Cat Nip'ed gunner to get this final chunk of the game over fast; lots of cutscenese and boss fights will happen; of note are: * obtain Paine's sphere (you will automatically get it and watch this sphere) * there is a save sphere just before the final puzzle involving musical notes and hopping around; this is your last chance to do anything else you want to do in the game * long series of boss battles; game completed * press "X" when Yuna is in the Farplane Glen; answer "Yes" * watch the credits * extended ending ......................... SAVE GAME [100 %] ......................... If you did not get 100%, then don't worry. Use the New Game+ option and play through the game. This time, do anything which you did not do during your first game and chances are you will be able to make up about 10% of the story. HOW TO GET 100% USING THE NEW GAME+ OPTION - instead of giving the Awesome sphere to the same group in your original game, give it to the other group (this is presumably New Yevon) - do any mission or visit any place which you previously could not visit due to your choice regarding the Awesome sphere FINAL COMMENTS I hope that I have recorded all the necessary steps. Please let me know (rs1nhotmailcom) if there is anything missing/wrong. It is very possible that I did something and forgot to mention it in this guide, so corrections are always welcome. ABOUT SENDING ME EMAILS - please don't email immediately upon not making it to a checkpoint without actually trying to figure your mistake out on your own; redo the steps, or start over from the last, good checkpoint if need be before sending me emails about what went wrong; most of the problems are solved that way - include the last percentage you got that matched up (e.g. if you got 35.0% but then have trouble reaching 37.0%, then please say you reached 35.0% without problems in your email, and that your problems are occuring between 35.0% and 37.0%); don't just say you can't get 37% because for all I know, you could have made an error between 6.0% and 9.0% - before sending me the email, make sure that whatever is shown in the guide is done EXACTLY the way it is described (e.g. if you did things out of order, first replay through in the order given in the guide) - include anything that you did and/or saw that was different from what was in the guide PREVIOUS REVISIONS: 15-FEB-2004 Minor update regarding tourists saving mission in the v1.68 Calm Lands 08-FEB-2004 Minor update v1.67 02-FEB-2004 Added some suggest clarifications regargin Victor v1.66 Primoris (thanks Brian R.) 30-JAN-2004 Some extra notes about checkpoints (namely 6.0%) v1.65 Extra notes regarding why it is important to do the cactuar capturing sidequest early 28-JAN-2004 Minor notes added v1.61 27-JAN-2004 Corrected Moonflow ticket prices (thanks to Kekvit I. v1.60 and to Jordan B.) and made note on how you must sell all 10 tickets (though failing to do so will still get you the correct percentage at the 34.0% mark; but you will not get episode complete later on) 26-JAN-2004 Only 12 pairs of monkies and not 13 (for Zanarkand v1.59 Ruins quest) Updated info regarding chocobo catching mission at Mi'hen Highroad 24-JAN-2004 Minor notes added; some rewording v1.58 24-JAN-2004 Clarified 96.0% checkpoint (it's on the Airship that v1.57 you check for 96%) 21-JAN-2004 Minor updates regarding comm spheres (chapter four) v1.56 Added some suggestions on finishing PR mission early 21-JAN-2004 Updated final Airship section (96%) to clarify how v1.55 trigger various cutscenes 20-JAN-2004 Minor updates v1.54 20-JAN-2004 Added minor note to Mushroom Rock (chapter 1) and v1.53 moved older update notices toward the bottom of the guide 18-JAN-2004 Fixed an error regarding Isaaru in Zanarkand in v1.52 chapter 5 (he's not around; I must have mixed this up with the comm sphere scenes in chapter 4) 18-JAN-2004 Minor changes to Mi'hen section in Chapter 2 (added v1.51 some clarification) 14-JAN-2004 Added section directly below Changelog section v1.50 Added details on getting through Bevelle (previously referred readers to other guides) 12-JAN-2004 Added note about Guadosalam in Chapter 2 v1.14 12-JAN-2004 Made some minor notes about talking to Tobli v1.13 12-JAN-2004 Updated to clarify wording of certain areas v1.12 08-JAN-2004 Minor updates (added emphasis to certain events) v1.11 Fixed some incorrect references Added note on what to do when the checkpoints don't appear to match up 08-JAN-2004 Corrected wrong completion total for Airship v1.10 Celcius at the very start of chapter 4 (should be 3.4% earned and not 2.6%) Corrections to a reference to 78.0% (should have been 79.0%) 08-JAN-2004 Added some more GGs to find in the "extra things v1.08 to do" section 07-JAN-2004 Minor fixes (nothing related to 100% completion) v1.07 05-JAN-2004 Lots of updates; fixed incorrect email v1.06 Most of the updates were clarifications Added #7 to general things to consider 05-JAN-2004 Added #6 to general list of things to always keep v1.05 in mind when playing this game (i.e. always choose to participate in every possible event anyone in the game asks of you) More details to help clear up possible confusion in game flow 05-JAN-2004 Minor changes to Mushroom Rock (Chapter One) v1.04 (i.e. added explicit instructions to take on the mission there) 04-JAN-2004 Changed wording of chocobo dispatching section v1.03 (in step 2: "reset, reload" changed to "if not then reset, reload") Other minor updates (rewording) 03-JAN-2004 Fixed error in Comm Sphere Part I (had 2.0% instead v1.01/1.02 of 4.0% total gain for that mini-section) Fixed chocobo raising section (possible confusion about dispatches) Fixed a mis-naming of Mi'Hen Highroad comm sphere section as Mushroom Rock Forgot Machina Reactor (Chapter 5) 02-JAN-2004 Initial submission to GameFAQs