Final Fantasy IV DS FAQ/Walkthrough This walkthrough should get you through the story with as many secrets, tricks, etc., as I can find. CONTENTS I. Walkthrough II. Town Shopping List III. Closing Notes I. WALKTHROUGH Ch. 1: Opening Ch. 2: The Village of Myst Ch. 3: Exile Ch. 4: Desert Fever Ch. 5: Golbez Ch. 6: Redemption Ch. 7: Homecoming Ch. 8: The Crystal of Earth more coming as I play! so far, a little over half of the story is covered; will update weekly until complete! _______________ CH. 1 - OPENING _______________ Watch the opening scenes and squeee at the amazingness. Remember how this looked on the SNES? After a little bit of exposition, you briefly take control. Your very first encounter against two Floating Eyes isn't the breeze you might be expecting, because it takes you four whole turns to kill them both. More story. Somehow, those punks on the ship with you managed to get winded by you killing monsters in front of them. Go figure. More story. Now you've done it, you ungrateful punk. ___________________________ CH. 2 - THE VILLAGE OF MIST ___________________________ CASTLE BARON Story Items: Carnelian Signet Treasure: Ether, Tent, 480 Gil You may have been accused of treason by your king, but at least your buddy Kain's sticking up for you, right? You're given a Carnelian Signet and shown out of the king's audience chamber. It's your first chance to wander, so have at it! Kain is standing off to your right; there's a bit of conversation to be had here. Head down to the first floor and to your right. If you played the SNES version, you know there's treasure to be had. The guard standing next to a blank wall explains the switch mechanism. Inside, you'll find three treasure chests containing 480 gil, Ether, and Tent. From here, you can go right to find places that you're not allowed to enter yet, or head left, up the stairs, and back down the other side for your introduction to Rosa. Seems like she's trying pretty hard with that pink lingerie, but I'm sure it has the benefit of affording her added "mobility." Ain't love grand? Now that you've made a date, it's time to keep exploring. Continue on your way. You can go inside and downstairs to find the dungeon, if you like, where thre e Mysidian mages are beginning to realize that Gandhi's methods might have their drawbacks. Otherwise, continue in a north-ish fashion for your introduction to Cid. Those lips are impressive. The door Cid left open leads to the Redwing crew quarters, if you're interested, but the plot lies behind door number 2. Behind the left door, you'll meet a...rabbit? named Namingway, who gives you the opportunity to change your name. Rename Cecil "Sir Dude", or try to, at least, and Namingway leaves. Head upstairs and upstairs again to find your room. When you're done exploring, check the bed and choose to retire for the evening. Between the great graphics and voice acting, it's starting to seem a little silly that Cecil clearly intends to sleep in his armor. After demonstrating that hindsight is always 20-20, Cecil moves on to a conversation with Rosa, in which he has a difficult time making eye contact, either because of the amount of cleavage on display or because he's ashamed of his actions in Mysidia. Possibly both. A plot summary follows for those of you who just mashed buttons through all of the dialogue so far. Admire the pretty picture, listen to the Final Fantasy theme, and wait patiently for the stupid kids to catch up. BARON (TOWN) Treasure: Gnomish Bread, Tent, Eye Drops, Bronze Hourglass, Phoenix Down x2, Gold Needle, Potion x2 When I first played the SNES version, it wasn't readily apparent to me that there was a town AND a castle on the map (give me a break; I was 12), but it's pretty obvious here, so head into the town. The usual mix of items are available in the Sundries shop; it might not be a bad idea to invest in a few Potions and a Phoenix Down, if you're nervous. Otherwise, the building to your right is the Inn. There's a free potion in a bush to the right. Head in there and back past the front desk for a blank wall highlighted by a mysterious switch. Since you can see the treasure chests behind it, you know it's a good idea to hit the switch and collect the goodies: Gnomish bread, Tent, and Eye Drops. Rosa's house is behind the inn, but Mrs. Rosa has evidently gotten better at hiding her elixirs from wandering travelers, and there's no looting to be done within. There is a potion hidden in the bush to the left of the building, though. The weapons shop and another door are locked, but you can visit Cid in is house to the northwest. There's a girl to the northeast who's paranoid enough to offer Cecil a little incentive to keep quiet about whatever she may have done wrong; these days, we call that corruption and sexual harassment, but whatever. Continue past her and take a swim. If you head all the way south, you can find a Bronze Hourglass hidden in a pool, but not much else; I'm starting to feel cheated. Get back out of the water and head through the gate to the north east; walk past the woman and behind the northern wall. All the way over, behind Cid's house, you can find a free Phoenix Down, Gold Needle, and another Phoenix Down hidden in the bushes. WORLD MAP - BARON COUNTRYSIDE Monsters: HellDiver, FloatingEye, SwordRat, Goblin When you're done looting the town, it's time to start exploring. You'll probably want to give the save game function a whirl before seeing what attacks you when you wander aimlessly in circles. There's a round patch of trees to the southwest that turns out to be a Chocobo Forest when you enter. The white chocobos within restore your MP; the yellow ones offer a free ride; and the nest in the back allows you to summon a Big Chocobo with a Gysahl Green. Your destination is the cave to the northwest. It doesn't take long to gain a level or two outside, and I recommend doing that before continuing. MIST CAVE Monsters: Eyewing Moth, Larva Treasure: Potion x2, Eye Drops, Tent Map Completion: Potion x5 Wait, that rabbit doesn't really think he can make it through this cave on his own when it takes two big, strong, manly fellows Cecil like Kain at least a couple of potions for the trip, does he? I really wanted to rename Kain "Ping", but Namingway has gotten all creative with himself, and he's now "Mappingway", dispenser of silly explanations for game mechanics. Moving right along... As we traverse this dungeon, we learn two things: (1) status effects like Blind persist after battle; and, (2) random little worms in caves know more special attacks than we do. Follow the path; there's really only one way to go. Raise your weapons ineffectually when voices tell you to go away, and then make yourself feel like less of a wimp by finding a treasure chest containing a Potion. There's another chest containing Eye Drops not too far after that. Shortly after this, the path forks; take the stairs on the left to another chest, which contains a Tent. Retrace your steps for more eerie voices and belated comprehension on the part of Our Heroes, who apparently didn't play this when it was on the SNES. There's another chest containing another Potion. Onward, ho! Of course we mean to ignore your warning, petty disembodied voice! *Boss Fight: Mist Dragon* This one isn't too bad if you can avoid getting caught by the surprise, which involves a bit of luck with the timing of your commands... Kain should Jump, Cecil should Attack, and you should keep in mind that the dragon's attacks do about 50 damage a pop and heal accordingly. Whatever you do, don't attack while the dragon is in mist form. I allowed this unfortunate circumstance to come to pass just so I could tell you what happens; you get a hint to please not do that again in the form of a message from the game and 40-60 damage each. Apparently, the dragon gets mad at you when you attack the vapor, but not when you just whack it with a sword. Now that you've triumphed, collect your reward, which apparently takes the form of an imaginary pat on the back, and head onwards. As you exit the cave, you'll receive 5 potions for completing the map. Head outside. At this point, I recommend that cheap players deequip Kain. MIST (VILLAGE) Mist is just a little to the east of the cavern exit. Enter. Whoops, who saw that coming? Possibly not as many as if the Carnelian Signet had still been named "Bomb Ring." There's just something about green-haired women in Final Fantasy games; they have no sense of perspective. There's not much you can do about this fight; I didn't even get to go. Hey, look, the houses are burning in the map cinematic. ____________ CH. 3: EXILE ____________ "Ugh" is right, Cecil. Hey, what's that thing by Rydia? That's new. Wake up, discover that the problem child lives, and be glad that you stripped Kain of his shiny armor; we're going to sell it as soon as we hit the next town. WORLD MAP - KAIPO COUNTRYSIDE Monsters: Desert Sahagin, Goblin, SwordRat, Hundlegs, Sandworm You find yourself east of Mist and prevented from backtracking by a fun new mountain range. You're not given much of a clue as to how to proceed, but "east" is probably a good start. Ideally, we want to find an inn before we run out of potions. Head east and north past the mountains, and then east into the desert and a little north. About halfway through the desert, you'll find Kaipo. KAIPO The plot bus pulls up in front of the inn as you enter, which is a decent arrangement all around. Just as you're getting some rest, more plot happens, and Cecil sounds frightfully British. *Boss Fight: Baron Soldier x3, Baron General* Hey, boss music plays, it's a boss fight. Fortunately, these guys are only about half as tough as the Goblins were, so all you need to do is not fall asleep with your thumb off the confirm button and you'll probably win. Once you kill the soldiers, the general beats a hasty retreat; this does have an effect on your experience. Rydia's so glad to not be dead that she joins and introduces you to her Eidolon, whom the game dubs Whyt by default; let's call him Pillsbury instead. Control returns to you, so it's time to explore the town. There's an item shop inside the inn and a pub upstairs, but no items in the pots and barrels. Game, you disappoint me. The weapons shop is in the eastern part of town. Sell Kain's equipment and pick yourself up something shiny; I'd recommend a Rod, but Rydia already has one. There's a Fat Chocobo waiting to explain Eidolons to you if you head to the northwest. The armor shop is nearby. Chatting with the townspeople, we learn two things: (1) desert moons are to be considered "fair"; and, (2) there really aren't very many beautiful women in the world. Check out the house in the northeast corner. How did she beat you here, and doesn't she know that you generally cover as much skin as possible when you want to wander around in the desert? Letting her mumble incoherently at you gets you your first augment: Auto-Potion. I recommend just hanging onto it for now. Say hello to Namingway/Mappingway, who now desires to be known as Livingway and, in return for your indulgence, will let you look at his Bestiary. When you're finished checking out the town, it's time to embark on our new quest. ___________________ CH. 4: DESERT FEVER ___________________ From general town chatter, you've probably surmised that (a) you need the Desert Pearl; (b) it's not here; (c) there's a weird old guy blocking the way through a cave; and (d) there's another cave that no one is allowed in except the Damcyan royal family. Putting all of this together, we surmise that our next task will be to journey through the first cave, enlist the help of the royal family, and then venture into the second cave to find our treasure. It's worth noting that the Rod Rydia equips by default can be used during battle to spam a free "Mage Arrows" attack on the enemy. This will come in pretty handy in our future travails which, incidentally, take us to the northeastern portion of the desert and the cave we'll find there. WATERWAY ENTRANCE, B1 SOUTH Monsters: Tiny Mage, Sahagin, Amoeba, Fangshell, Sword Rat, Goblin, Killer Fish Treasure: Potion, Echo Herbs, Tent, Ether, Dry Ether, X-Potion, Phoenix Down Map Completion: Eyedrops x5 Start out by heading forward and up the stairs to collect two chests containing a Potion and Echo Herbs. Backtrack, head right, and then south to collect another chest containing a Tent. When you're done with any leveling, head up to meet the newest oldest member of your party! Tellah's looking for his daughter because he clearly can't dress himself without her help, and, unlike everyone else you've met thus far, seems to interpret your Dark-Knighthood as a reason to expect you to be a decent sort of guy who helps random old men find their wayward spawn. Oddly enough, you ARE a decent sort of guy, so give him a spare Rod if you have one, and off we go. Skip the stairs for now, and head to the right instead. Go down into the water and follow this path up and under the bridge to a chest containing an Ether. Staying in the water, backtrack a bit, and head further left to a waterfall that has a hidden opening on the left side. There are three chests in here, containing a Dry Ether, an X-Potion, and a Phoenix Down. Backtrack and take the stairs to the exit. UNDERGROUND WATERWAY, SOUTH B2 Monsters: Tiny Mage, Sahagin, Amoeba, Fangshell, Sword Rat, Goblin, Killer Fish Treasure: Ether, Potion, Ice Rod Map Completion: Antidote x5 There's only one path to follow at first, so stop reading and follow it! Once you hit the water, head to the right and up the stairs for a chest containing a Potion. Backtrack to the water and go all the way down and to the left for some stairs to a treasure chest containing an Ether. Continue to the left and go through the opening. We're now treated to our first official save point and a little bit of story. Jesus saves, and so should you. When you're done, take the northern exit. You'll soon find a chest containing an Ice Rod, which isn't a bad replacement for the spamming of Mage Arrows you've been doing. Head down into the water and follow the path to the exit. UNDERGROUND WATERWAY, B3 Monsters: Tiny Mage, Sahagin, Amoeba, Fangshell, Sword Rat, Goblin, Killer Fish, Gigantoad Treasure: 580 gil, Bomb Fragment Map Completion: Tent x3 Head south and then right to find a chest containing 580 gil; continue across the bridge to find a Bomb Fragment. Backtrack, take the left path, and follow it to the exit. UNDERGROUND WATERWAY, NORTH B2 Monsters: Amoeba, Fangshell, Killer Fish, Gigantoad, Toadgre Treasure: Potion, Feathered Cap Map Completion: Phoenix Down x3 Head all the way left of the entrance to where the wall fades into shadow; there's actually a hidden path here. Follow it left, up, right, down, and right (use your map if you're not sure whether you're walking into a wall) for a shortcut to the exit. Immediately to the south is a chest containing a Potion. After collecting it, head back into the secret passage and go up and to the right. Hey, look, more map. There's a Feathered Cap in the chest; collect it and make your way back to the exit. WATERWAY ENTRANCE NORTH, B1 Monsters: Zombie, Amoeba, Fangshell, Killer Fish, Gigantoad, Toadgre Treasure: Ether, Zeus's Wrath, Shadowblade, Bronze Hourglass Map Completion: Ether There's an ether immediately to your left. Grab it and proceed up the stairs on the left for a Zeus's Wrath. That extra s is in the game. Go back down and take the stairs on the right to continue. Head down at your first opportunity for the sake of map completion, then go back up and continue to the right. The exit is right there, but don't leave just yet; there are two chests below you, containing a Shadowblade and a Bronze Hourglass. There's a brief overland respite that allows you to save and/or use a tent, so avail yourself of these opportunities if you so choose. UNDERGROUND FALLS Oh, sure, this is a good idea. UNDERGROUND LAKE, B2 Monsters: Red Mousse, Zombie, Alligator Treasure: Hades Gloves, Hades Helm Map Completion: Potion x5 Climb out of the water and follow the path. Take a side trip down the stairs when you happen upon them for some treasure: Hades Gloves and a Hades Helm. Return to the path and follow it to the exit. UNDERGROUND LAKE, B1 Monsters: Red Mousse, Zombie, Alligator Treasure: Hades Armor, Hermes Sandals Map Completion: Zeus's Wrath x3 Start off by filling in a bit of the map in this big empty space, and then proceed to the bridge to the east. There's a treasure chest with Hades Armor inside and another with Hermes Sandals below it. Make sure you finish filling in the map before approaching the cleverly-hidden octopus. *Boss Fight: Octomammoth* Conveniently, Octomammoth is weak to Dark and Thunder. Cecil should attack while Rydia and Tellah burn through their remaining MP casting Thunder. The feasibility of calling lightning down on a foe sitting in the same pool of water in which you're standing aside, this should be a quick and easy fight. Note that the number of tentacles waving around is an indicator of Octomammoth's remaining health. Now that the path to Damcyan is clear, let's be on our way. This wouldn't be a bad time to tell Tellah to give back any cool equipment you happened to lend him for the journey. WORLD MAP - DAMCYAN ENVIRONS Monsters: Damcyan is to the north, so walk that way. Oh, noes! DAMCYAN CASTLE Treasure: Tent, Power Bow, Feathered Cap, Ruby Ring, Potion, Antidote, Gold Needle, Phoenix Down, Eye Drops, Ether, Elixir, Holy Arrows Head inside to sort out what just happened. The place is a mess and there are a bunch of dead/mostly dead people to talk to. Apparently, they weren't expecting this to happen, which would be comforting if not for the assumption that we might think they had been. It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world. There's a Tent in a chest next to a guy who wants you to carry him upstairs for healing, but, though evidently accustomed to escorting finicky old codgers in pursuit of their errant offspring, Dark Knights do not DO heavy lifting; he's on his own. Head all the way upstairs for some dramaz. The pots up here are convenient free healing for the foreseeable future, by the way. Now that we've traded Tellah for the much prettier Edward and gained our very own Hovercraft, it's time to...park and go right back inside the castle. Instead of walking up the main entrance, head to your immediate right, around the side of the castle. See that door? Good. Make for the secret entrance to the right of the cages, and head inside for a Power Bow, Feathered Cap, and Ruby Ring. Go back to where the corpse of the guard isn't and all the way over to the left wall; walk down into the corner. Secret staircases are great. Open all the treasure chests for a Potion, Antidote, Eye Drops, Gold Needle, Phoenix Down, and Ether. There's also an Elixir hidden in the bottom left corner and Holy Arrows in the bottom right. You can spend some time leveling, head back to Kaipo to resupply, or just continue to your new destination... ANTLION'S DEN - B1 Monsters: Goblin, Domovoi, Adamantoise Treasure: Spider Silk, Potion x3, Tent, Gold Needle Map Completion: Potion x5 Start by going left across the bridge to open a chest containing Spider Silk. Backtrack and head down the stairs south of the entrance. Left and up will get you the treasure chest you saw, which contains a Potion. Now, continue down, taking the stairs down when you see them, and follow this winding path to the left, eventually arriving at two chests containing a Tent and a Potion. Backtrack to where you made the left, and this time head right. Take the northern route for a chest with a Potion. Backtrack and take the stairs to your right up to another chest with a Gold Needle. Backtrack again and head south for the exit. ANTLION'S DEN - B2 Monsters: Goblin, Domovoi, Adamantoise, Basilisk, Yellow Jelly Treasure: Lamia Harp, Antarctic Wind, Phoenix Down, Emergency Exit, Ether, Potion, Spider Silk, Ice Rod, Shadowblade Map Completion: Phoenix Down x3 Follow the path down the stairs until you come to a fork; head right and through the opening into a small room containing a Lamia Harp. Return to the main room and continue on your way. There's a chest containing an Antarctic Wind where the path starts to curve back up. Head up the stairs at the fork and go through the opening for a brief return to the previous area where you can complete your map. Continue north for a save point and three treasure chests, which contain a Phoenix Down, Emergency Exit, and Ether. When you're done here, backtrack to the previous area and head left, up, and behind the opening for a chest containing a Potion. Go back down the stairs and cross the bridge to the left for a Spider Silk. From here, head down and take the stairs to fill in your map. Backtrack to the first fork and go left instead of up. Bypass the exit to the south and continue left, heading up the stairs and turning right for a chest containing an Ice Rod. Go left and up the stairs to find a Shadowblade in the chest. This will come in really handy when Cecil's twin sister, Cecilia, also a Dark Knight, joins and wants a share of the equipment. Make your way back to the exit. ANTLION'S NEST The map's all filled in for you, so you're expecting this, right? *Boss Fight: Antlion* Edward's 'Life's Anthem' will come in pretty handy during this fight; it's free regen for as long as he isn't attacked, and it's all he should be doing. During normal battle, the Antlion counters physical attacks, so Rydia should do the bulk of the damage by casting Blizzard; it's the biggest bang for your MP buck. When the Antlion's eyes are red, however, it begins to counter magic; this is when Cecil needs to make himself useful. That constant regen (did I mention that it's free?) is so cheap, though, that you can do almost whatever you want and still win as long as you don't do it with Edward. Yes, Cecil, something is afoot. Something is ahead, too, and it's called returning to Kaipo before Rosa's rising temperature becomes the cause of permanent brain damage and she wears pink lingerie forever. Oh, damn. KAIPO Hurry back to Rosa, who, if you don't recall, is in the north-eastern-most house. Now all you have to do is avoid the urge to be silly and select the correct item; clearly, it's an Ice Rod. Now that she's all better, interrupt her sentimental drivel with a manly demand for plot clarification. Good boy. More story happens to teach Edward what happens to bad boys who wander around alone at night; unless you replaced his Attack command in both auto-battle and his usual command menu, though, you should be fine. Watch as Anna goes away to be part of the lifestream and don't forget to pick up the Holy materia she leaves behind. Actually, you have to wait until morning to do this, and it's the augment Item Lore. _____________ CH. 5: GOLBEZ _____________ Now that we know there's a new kid in town and he's taking all the other kids' toys, it's time to do something about that. Well, not in the sense that we're going to go beat him up and take back the stolen goodies, but we're at least going to try to stop him from doing it to the really buff kid who goes to Tae Kwon Do after school every day, like he needs our help. Anyway, hop back in your hovercraft and zip on over to Mt. Hobs, which is east of Damcyan, past the Antlion cave. MOUNT HOBS - WEST SLOPE Monsters: Spirit, Skeleton Map Completion: Hi-Potion x3 Geez, Rosa, if it's so easy, why don't YOU do it. Now that you're in possession of a six-year-old who can burn things for a measly 5 MP, continue on up the mountain. Take the first exit you come to. MOUNT HOBS - VISTA Monsters: Bomb, Cockatrice, Skeleton, Spirit, Gargoyle Treasure: Tent, Potion, Gold Needle, 960 gil Hey, look, a save point and a bunch of treasure chests! Grab a Tent, Potion, Gold Needle, and 960 gil. Head back to the west slope, and take the exit further along on the right. MOUNT HOBS - SUMMIT Monsters: Treasure: Holy Arrows Open the treasure chest before ascending the stairs for some Holy Arrows. This would be more exciting if we didn't have magical quivers of non-emptiness. Continue on your way for a monk of Fabul, the land of blond-haired Chinese karate masters! Jackie Chan, call your stylist, stat. *Boss Fight: Mom Bomb* Rydia's free Ice Rod does plenty of damage, so don't blow your MP unless Rosa needs a paramedic. Edward's free Life's Anthem is still the most useful thing he can do. That leaves Cecil, Yang, and Rosa to attack, with Rosa swapping in healing/support spells as needed. It's not a bad idea to lead off with a mass casting of Protect from her. After a few rounds, Mom Bomb begins 'storing energy', and we know nothing with a countdown is going to end well. Make sure everyone defends just before the countdown ends. Now, Mom Bomb splits into six smaller bombs; it's important to focus your attacks on eliminating as many as possible, as the survivors are wont to Self Destruct all over you. Yang should focus for a round and then kick while the others mop up. Sorry, buddy, but if your monks were so awesome, a bunch of measly bombs wouldn't have wiped them off the map. You guys were screwed from the get-go. Yang himself, however, is pretty cool, so do a little dance now that he's graciously allowed you to join his party. MOUNT HOBS - EAST SLOPE Monsters: Bomb, Gray Bomb Treasure: Map Completion: Bomb Core x3 Continue through the exit to reach the East Slope. WORLD MAP - FABUL COUNTRYSIDE Monsters: Bomb, Gray Bomb, Sword Rat, Domovoi, Gatlinghog Fabul is your destination, and it lies to the East. Get going. There's a Chocobo Forest to the northeast of Fabul, if you want to hear the incredibly repetitive FF4 DS Chocobo theme. FABUL CASTLE Treasure: Bacchus Wine, Tent, Bomb Fragment, Antarctic Wind, Potion, Zeus's Wrath, Spider Silk, Demon Shield, Ether, Deathbringer The castle is actually more like a walled city; you'll find all of your shops, etc., inside. Weapons and Armor are found by taking the right-hand stairs from the main room of the first floor. It's a good idea to buy Yang a couple of Claws to equip on his hands, and you can upgrade Cecil's armor while you're at it. The left-hand stairs lead to the Inn and Sundries shop. Whateverway is also hanging out. Head up to the second floor and take the exit at the bottom of the screen to gain access to the towers. There's a Bacchus Wine hidden on the second floor of the East Tower, all the way to the right side of the room, past the bar, and just below the potted plant. There's a Tent in the treasure chest on the third floor, and surely no one will mind if you take a quick nap in the king's bed! Descend and enter the West Tower. There are three chests on the first floor, containing a Bomb Fragment, Antarctic Wind, and a Potion, as well as a Zeus's Wrath in the candle to the left of the stairs. That's it for loot, but you can drop in and say hi to Yang's wife, who lives on the third floor. Save if you're worried about having to redo that looting, and, for those of us who like to be cheap, now would be an excellent time to deequip the ladies. We live in an old-fashioned time, when the women had the babies, and the men defended the kingdom from attack. Head up the stairs on the second floor to find the throne room, where story instantly happens. You'll now face a series of battles with a party consisting of Cecil, Edward, and Yang. *Boss Fight: Captain and Baron Marine x2* Kill the captain quickly to break the chain of command. Cecil and Yang should simply attack, while Edward does his usual. *Boss Fight: Leshy, Sahagin, and Domovoi* Three random encounter enemies against my can of whoop-ass? Ha. *Boss Fight: Captain and Baron Marine x2* Same story as before. *Boss Fight: Gargoyle* Your only concern here is a successful Tornado, which decimates the HP of one of your party members. Attack with everyone to kill him as fast as you can. *Boss Fight: Leshy, Sahagin, and Domovoi* Another easy victory. *Boss Fight: Captain and Baron Marine x2* Edward may have had a slight spaz attack, but that won't affect the progress of this battle. The string of battles is over now, and it's time for a visit from an old friend. Great to see you, buddy? There's not much you can do about this one, so sit back and enjoy the cinema. Well, that went well. Pick up the pieces and head back to the throne room. There's a secret passage in the top-right corner leading to a Spider Silk, Demon Shield, and Ether. From here, head over to the inn and rest for more story. The screen fades to black, and you're teleported to the king, who gives you the keys to the plot bus and a nifty Deathbringer sword for Cecil. The bus...er, boat...docks at the pier you saw just to the northeast of Fabul, so go that way. Another word to the cheap: only Cecil need remain equipped at this point. _________________ CH. 6: REDEMPTION _________________ To recap, the plan is to hop on a boat and hit Baron in its weak spot: its abysmal maritime defenses. Yang's wife is here to see you off; she entrusts you with the Counter Augment, which I recommend giving to Cecil at the first opportunity. Watch your efforts come to fruition and console yourself with that augment when you regain control. Hey, you're lucky armor floats. Head east a little bit to the absolute best place in the world to be washed up in if you're a Dark Knight who likes to cut down innocent villagers and steal their stuff. MYSIDIA Talking to the villagers is worth a chuckle or two; they really hate you, for some odd reason. The weapons and armor shops are to the left, but they don't have that you'll find immediately useful. The inn and item shop are to your right. When you're done being the butt of everyone's joke, head to the large building in the center of town. The people inside want to chew you out, and you sort of owe them the opportunity, so stand there and take it like a man. The Elder sets you on your next quest, which is to ditch the power of Darkness because fighting fire with fire only makes sense with one specific use of the word. To help you on your way, two mages join you. Say hello to Palom and Porom, and immediately give the Auto-Potion Augment you've been saving to your new white mage. Reequip Palom and Porom, making sure that Palom keeps his Fire Staff for any undead you might be fighting in the near future. Go ahead and sell all of your tents but one, and, f you have the cash, it's not a bad idea to buy some of that armor you can't wear yet. Just saying. WORLD MAP - MYSIDIAN COUNTRYSIDE Monsters: Tiny Mage, Cockatrice, Gatlinghog, Zu Your destination is a fair hike to the East, making this an ideal leveling opportunity. There's a Chocobo Forest south of Mt. Ordeals, allowing you to recharge Porom's MP for free and heal more cheaply. That rabbit is here, too, and he takes every Tent in your position and gives you a measly 300 gil in exchange. Aren't you glad he only got one? MOUNT ORDEALS - ENTRANCE Monsters: Bloodbones, Soul, Ghoul, Revenant, Spirit, Skeleton Treasure: Potion x2 Map Completion: Antidote x5 Approach the flames blocking the path to see the real reason why you brought the midgets along. After the story, continue to the right for a chest containing a Potion. Then, head up the stairs for another one. Keep following the path until you reach the exit at the top of the screen. MOUNT ORDEALS - TRAIL Monsters: Bloodbones, Soul, Ghoul, Revenant, Spirit, Skeleton Map Completion: Hi-Potion x3 Follow the trail up and to the right. Hey, who's that? Who cares that a party of three wimpy mages hiding behind one warrior is a little unbalanced? Four's still better than three! Just don't tell Palom that Mr. Famous has about half of his MP. Make sure your party is properly organized and equipped and continue on. MOUNT ORDEALS - CROSSING Monsters: Lilith, Bloodbones, Soul, Ghoul, Revenant, Spirit, Skeleton Treasure: Ether x2 Map Completion: Ether Bear right to fill in the map, then reverse direction and go all the way left and up the stairs for an Ether. Head back to the way up you just bypassed and follow that path. Head south for another Ether when the path opens up, and continue to the exit. MOUNT ORDEALS - SUMMIT Map Completion: Red Fang Palom, stop making noises! Oh, come on, Palom; we know it was you. Little brothers are like that. Fill in as much of the map as you can before taking the path up. Before you go ALL the way up, there's a path leading off to the right that goes straight to a save point. Could this be a hint? Return to the path leading up and take it. Approach the bridge... *Boss Fight: Scarmiglione and Skulnant x4* Scarmiglione counters magic attacks with a Thunder spell of his own, so be wary of superfluous magical prods. Open up with a Cry from Porom and a Bluff from Palom, then move on to Twin Magic. Tellah has healing duty; when he doesn't need to cast a Cure spell, he should start taking things out with Fire. Cecil isn't as useful as you might like against the undead, but he still chews through the Skulnants without too much trouble. A successful Twin casting should end the fight. Wasn't that fun? Go back and save. That probably wiped out your MP, so using a Cottage (since that Campingway punk stole all of your tents) might be a good idea. Now, head back up to the summit and continue across the bridge. Just as you approach the bridge, flip your party configuration to put Cecil in the back and the mages in the front. *Boss Fight: Scarmiglione* I hope you saved. You don't have the time or MP to waste on buffs, so get started on Twin Magic immediately. Scarmiglione counters physical attacks with a mass slow effect and magical attacks with a mass poison/blind/silence/sleep effect, so Tellah and Cecil must remain strictly on the support end of things. They can't do enough damage to justify the retaliation. In the beginning, Cecil can mitigate the damage from Scarmiglione's opening shots with items while Tellah sets up Blink on the twins, himself, and Cecil, in order of priority. Once you run out of MP for Twin Magic, you can either blow an ether or two, or you can finish things the hard way. Scarmiglione does take damage from Cecil's physical attacks, and he's weak to Fire. Don't forget about Porom's healing rod; you should use it every turn once she's done with Twin Magic. Tellah probably won't have enough MP left from Blink to do much with offensive magic, but Palom might still have a Fira or two in him; alternate these with Bluff to maximize your damage. If your characters aren't high enough level to have that much MP, you don't have much choice outside of the Fire Rod and Cecil's physical attacks, and you're probably best off using at least one ether. Take stock of the damage, do what you need to do in order to walk around a bit more, and approach the pedestal on the left. *Boss Fight: Dark Knight* It's time to atone the crap out of yourself. Whatever you do, don't attack. Defend, heal with items if you just can't help yourself, but don't hit back. Congratulations, you won a spiffy blue headband! Enjoy your victory music. Take a moment to reequip Cecil and organize Tellah's magic, then make your way back to Mysidia. Be on the lookout for a shiny on the ground halfway down the Crossing area; it's a Curse Augment! Go ahead and give it to Palom. Your first stop in Mysidia should be the armory, to finish outfitting Cecil in cool new Paladin armor, assuming you couldn't afford to before. Next, go have a chat with the Elder. Plot revelations ensue, and the path forward is opened! _________________ CH. 7: HOMECOMING _________________ I could tell you that the entrance to the Devil's Road is in a small structure to the east side of town, but if you didn't listen when the man with the beard said it, you're probably ignoring me, too. Interestingly, no one on Baron's end seems particularly worried that hoardes of wizards will come pouring through to avenge the loss of their crystal, so no one really minds that you're here, either. Chat the townspeople up to figure out that your next destination, story-wise, ought to be the tavern adjacent to the inn. But let's take a side trip, first. Leave town and hike your way to Mist, only without an exploding ring in your pocket this time. MIST Treasure: Gold Hairpin, Clothing, Polymorph Rod, Ruby Ring, Bomb Fragment x3 Head into the first house to the north. The empty fireplace is actually a secret passage to a Gold Hairpin and some Clothing. The Gold Hairpin is a nice helm for ladies. There's another secret passage leading out of this room from the bottom-right corner; it leads to two chests containing a Polymorph Rod and a Ruby Ring. You can do some shopping in the south part of town, too. If you (miraculously) have the gil, a Dancing Dagger would be a nice addition to Palom's current repetoire of ways to kill things. Directly west of the shops, there's a secret path through the trees to a small clearing where you can find two (no, seriously, they went there) bomb fragments hidden in the bushes. There's a third one north of the inn in the two bushes to the right of the pond. When you're done, it's time to head back to Baron. BARON (TOWN) Treasure: 2000 gil, Zeus's Wrath, 1000 gil Talk to the townspeople for some mood-setting dialogue, and then head over to the Inn, where corrupt cops have taken over the pub. And, hey, we recognize that guy! Go say hi. *Boss Fight: Baron Guardsman x2* These guys don't have too much up their sleeves; your standard attack formation should be just fine. *Boss Fight: Yang* Kick was really cool when you could use it, right? It's way less cool now that it hits all of YOUR guys at once. Blink, cast by Porom and Tellah, can be useful if you find this to be a hard fight, but if your characters are high enough level, it should be over in a few rounds of attacks from Cecil. Well, sounds like you knocked some sense into him--literally. Story follows as you catch each other up to speed. Now that you have a key, it's time to go shopping. Oddly enough, the shopkeepers seem to have been locked inside with their wares, and, instead of jumping for joy and running out to grab a burger, they'll happily sell you things. Bunnyway is also hanging out in here. Go figure. Before you go shopping, hit the secret passage to the left of the crate in the bottom-right corner. The chests behind the merchants contain 2000 gil and a Zeus's Wrath, and they don't mind if you take it. Once you've finished your shopping, head to the west part of the town, south of Cid's house, and use the Baron Key to open the locked door. See that treasure chest on your map? You know there has to be a way to get to it, and there is, in fact, a secret entrance in the middle of the right-hand wall. Collect 1000 gil and then backtrack to head down the stairs. ANCIENT WATERWAY - B4 Monsters: Killer Fish, Splasher, Devil's Castanet, Fangshell Treasure: Hi-Potion, Ether, Zeus's Wrath Map Completion: Hi-Potion x3 Follow the path, bearing right a little to fill in the map. Go all the way down and right to collect a Hi-Potion, Ether, and Zeus's Wrath, then follow the loop up and back to the left until you hit a path going north. Follow this to the exit. ANCIENT WATERWAY - B3 Monsters: Gigas Gator, Alligator, Devil's Castanet, Killer Fish, Splasher Treasure: Hermes Sandals, Bronze Hourglass, Spider Silk Map Completion: Ether The secret passages on this map can be a bit frustrating if you don't hit them straight on, so don't give up. There's only one path, so get going. Things get murky once you start heading south; bear left to get to a chest containing a Bronze Hourglass. Go south and east for a Spider Silk. Backtrack to where the path first turned south; there's a secret passage off to the right that you can follow into the water and to a chest containing Hermes Sandals on a little island. Keep heading south to fill in more of the map, then backtrack to the treasure chest and pass through the wall to the right. You'll need to go south to fill in the map, and then exit to the north. ANCIENT WATERWAY - B2 Monsters: Hydra Treasure: Ether Map Completion: Remedy x3 This is a pretty small area. Right before the exit, walk through the left wall to find a treasure chest containing an Ether. ANCIENT WATERWAY - B1 Monsters: Flood Worm, Hydra, Baron Guardsman Treasure: Ancient Sword Take the left-hand exit first, which leads to a room with a save point and a secret passage to a treasure chest containing an Ancient Sword. Save if you like, but don't waste a tent; there's free healing up ahead. Go back and take the exit on the right this time. BARON CASTLE Treasure: Unicorn Horn x2, Phoenix Down x2, Ether x3, Hermes Sandals x2, Bacchus' Wine x2, Hi-Potion x2, Tent x2, Elixir Hey, we found a back door! Go down around the left side of the castle until you reach an opening that allows you to travel within the walls. Take this opportunity to head up to Cecil's room and take a nap. Now that you're feeling well-rested, get back to exploring. Your goal is the throne room. As you're approaching, you run into an old friend--Baigan, the captain of the Royal Guard. Sounds like he's the only survivor, and he's more than happy to join your party. *Boss Fight: Baigan* Baigan counters magic attacks with reflect, so don't waste your time. Palom and Porom's Twin Magic is not reflected, leaving it a nice damage option. Cecil and Yang should attack while Tellah keeps everyone in Blink status and heals when necessary. A few castings of Twin Magic should finish him off. Now that you can explore more of the castle, there's some treasure to be had. Exit the main chamber through the right and head over to where that guard wouldn't let you loot before. He's either evil or dead, because the door is wide open and there's no one to stop you from heading inside. The chests contain two Unicorn Horns, two Phoenix Downs, and two Ethers. Backtrack to where you just came from and take the door in the lower part of the screen, which leads outside. From here, head up to access the East Tower. The chests here contain two Hermes Sandals and two Bacchus' Wine. There are two Hi-Potions a floor up, and an Ether and two Tents above that. There's not much downstairs besides an Elixir hidden in the leftmost candelabra, and you won't be able to go the entire way down the hallway until your task here is complete. I recommend a trip back to the save point and another stay in Chateau Cecil before continuing on to the throne room. If you gave Porom that Gold Hairpin, take it back, along with any other really neat equipment the kids shouldn't be playing with in the first place. *Boss Fight: Cagnazzo* The best damage dealer on your team for this fight is Yang equipped with a Thunder Claw. Focus for a few turns and then let loose with a punch for maximum effect. Porom can open with a Cry, and, believe it or not, casting Slow on Cagnazzo can really help turn the tide in your favor. A few well-placed Blink spells from the white mages will be useful, but, because Cagnazzo counters magic attacks, it's best to not gratuitously provoke the turtle. Rather, Palom should Bluff occasionally and mostly stand by to cast a Thunder spell when Cagnazzo begins to gather water. You can tell you're making progress if he retreats into his shell; don't let up the attack and you'll be fine. If Yang or Palom is slowed, Tellah can cast Haste if he still has the MP. Cecil should mostly be on healing detail. After the fight, it's time for some thrilling heroics and more story. Ignore the plot compass and land right away. Return to the Ancient Waterway B3 to find the Tsunami augment. If you go back to the castle, you can stop by and visit Palom and Porom, but don't bother wasting any items on them. While you're in Baron, you may as well be lazy and take the Serpent Road back to Mysidia, where the Elder is waiting to give you some augments; which ones depends on how many you gave Palom and Porom while they were still in your party. When you're finished hanging out around here, it's time to hop in that Airship and go! ___________________________ CH. 8: THE CRYSTAL OF EARTH ___________________________ Now that you have the Airship, the plot bus no longer limits where you can go. To continue the main story, head for Troia, which is to the north-east of Baron. You also have the option of exploring or doing random shopping, as your Airship grants access to Mythril, Agart, and Castle Eblan. There are some decent items to be found in all three places, but this guide will only focus on Mythril and Eblan right now; Agart is visited as part of the story later on. You can skip ahead to that section if you just can't wait, but there's no reason not to. Most of what you find is pretty run-of-the-mill. MYTHRIL Treasure: Diet Ration, Maiden's Kiss, Mythril Staff, Mythril Knife, 5000 gil Mythril is halfway between Fabul and Mt. Ordeals on a small island. Left of the Inn, hidden in the bushes at the edge of the trees, you can find a Diet Ration. There's a Maiden's Kiss in the well in the lower-right corner of town. There's a Mythril Staff hidden near the barrel on the right side of the house in the upper-right section, and a Mythril Knife in a strangely impassable path of ground between this house and the Armory. Behind the tree between the Item Shop and the Armory, you can find 5000 gil. You can go in the shops and have a look around, but don't spend your money on any Mythril equipment just yet. EBLAN CASTLE Treasure: Sleep Blade, Bacchus's Wine, Silencing Arrows, 10k gil, Coeurl Whisker, Ninja Sutra x3, Hermes Sandals, Emergency Exit, Hi-Potion x3, Blood Lance, Silver Hourglass, Ether x2, Silver Apple, Unicorn Horn, Gold Needle, Maiden's Kiss, Cottage, Bomb Core Find Eblan by flying south-east of Baron. Save before entering; this place can be dangerous! Start by going up, left, down, and around to get the the WEST TOWER 1F. The chest on the right is accessible by a secret passage a little below the flowers on the right side, and it contains a Sleep Blade with an enemy ambush of Skuldier x2 and a Steel Golem. The Skuldiers are weak to Fire and Holy and the Steel Golem is weak to Ice, but they all pack a punch you're not necessarily supposed to be able to take at this point in the game, and you might need to give this more than one try. Lead off with a Slow or Stop to make this fight a lot easier. Continue up the stairs. There's a Bacchus's Wine in the trio of pots in front of you. You can reach the treasure chests through a secret passage through the bottom of the screen, right next to the wall. The one on the left contains Silencing Arrows, and the one on the right contains 10,000 gil. There's a path to the chest on the floor below hidden in the south-west corner. Collect your Bomb Core and leave via a hidden passage in the bottom of the room. Make your way to the entrance and take the central path. The treasure chest in the first room is accessed through a secret passage immediately to its left; it contains a Hi-Potion. Continue up a floor. All that treasure and no obvious way to get to it! Keep going up. There's a secret passage in the middle of the western wall; take it to some descending stairs. The top treasure chest contains a Unicorn Horn; the bottom, an Alarm Clock. Return to the throne room and find a similar passage through the eastern wall; the three chests you find contain a Gold Needle, a Cottage, and a Maiden's Kiss. On your way out of the throne room, check behind the throne for another Ninja Sutra. Make your way back to the entrance, and now head for the EAST TOWER 1F. The chest on the left contains a Coeurl Whisker and can be accessed by a secret passage through the adjacent wall near the top of the room. There's a Ninja Sutra in the flowerpot on the right. Head up a floor and press the switch on your immediate right. The chest on your left contains a Hi-Potion. There are Hermes Sandals in the pot above the duo of chests, which contain an Emergency Exit and a Hi-Potion. The chest on the right can be accessed through a secret passage to the right of these two chests. It contains a Blood Lance and another enemy ambush. This time, it's Coeurl x2 and a Lamia. The Lamia inflicts confuse randomly, and the Coeurls have an instant death attack! Yay. You need to do about 12,000 points of damage between the three, but the Coeurls only have 2000 each, so focus on them. Start off with an item that stops everyone and focus on finishing off the Coeurls. Tellah should cast Bio early in the fight to help you out, and then Haste Yang, who will be the primary damage dealer. Ideally, the Lamia will be alone when she can act again, and at this point only Yang should attack. Tellah can keep himself in MP by casting Osmose on Lamia and keep her Slowed. Next, drop down the hole and collect the chest you saw on the previous floor, which contains a Silver Hourglass. Go down the hole on this floor to reach EBLAN CASTLE -CELLAR PASSAGE. Check the candle for a Ninja Sutra. There are three chests down here, and they contain Ether x2 and a Silver Apple...along with an enemy ambush. Three Mad Ogres is never going to be a fun fight, but if you took care of that Lamia, you're probably in good shape. Start off with a Slow or a Stop from Tellah and then just beat them into the dirt. Cecil's Sleep Blade is fairly effective at putting them to sleep, so pay attention to who you're attacking. Remember, it doesn't matter how hard they hit if they never get to go. When you're done, continue down the passage to exit the castle. Phew! TROIA (TOWN) Treasure: Phoenix Down, Ether, 1000 gil, Decoy, Dry Ether You may recall someone talking about these crystals and how we don't want Golbez to get them; that's more or less the point of the game right now. Three crystals down and one to go, so chase after that last one and see if your plot bus can beat the game's smackdown wagon. The Earth Crystal is located in Troia, which you can reach by flying east of Baron. The patch of clear land where you can park your airship is a lot more obvious than it used to be; clearly, these people should worry less about which megalomaniac is advocating absolute 
monarchy and more about deforestation.

Head into the town first, for their is loot to be had, and any good RPG player
delays following the plot for as long as possible.  The shops are on your map,
but don't get too excited... they're not selling anything you really want to 
buy.  Hey, get back here--it's still not time to go shopping in Mythril.  There
is a free Tent lying around to the right of the armor shop, next to the crate,
and two Hi-Potions in the space behind the weapon and armor shops that, due to
invisible barrier shenanigans, can only be accessed by the northernmost bridge.

That rabbit is hanging out north of the item shop; he has a mission, should you 
choose to accept it.  The Pub is the central building in town; your target is
behind the bar, but the guy next to the door sells you more items.  If you have
100k gil to spare, email me and explain, because it's a totally ridiculous goal
at this point in the game, but you could, theoretically, purchase a Member's
Writ and gain access to The Happiest Place on Earth.  I could get into the
hilarious irony of the matriarchal society also being the only one that seems
to tolerate prostitution, but it's not really that hilarious, and the last thing
I expect from a Japanese video game is gender sensitivity.  Moving right along.

When you're done being a cad, you cad, take a swim in the river.  There's a
Phoenix Down near the bottom of the northish pondlike thingie.  Climb out on 
the northern bank to find an Ether below the girl.  There's 1000 gil to her left
and a Decoy a little further left.  Most importantly, don't forget the Dry Ether
next to the entrance to her glade.

Before you depart, head into the weapons shop, pick your favorite element, and
buy a Shard.  I recommend Fire, and I'd stay away from Lightning, but, hey, it's
your funeral.

That's about it for the town.  Your next destination is the castle.  You don't
need directions, do you?

TROIA CASTLE
Treasure: Bacchus's Wine, Tent x2, Hi-Potion x2, Ether x2, Ruby Ring x2

This is, incidentally, my favorite music in the game.  Head up the promenade; 
those only look like stairs, and you can't climb them.  Lame.  Say hi to the
guards; this is a city of women, so even the soldiers are basically caregivers.
(No, I'm not done inserting feminist asides into this guide; the typical gamer
could probably use a few, anyway.)  As you pass under the arch, you can find
secret passages to the left and right that allow you access to the water, but
there's not much there besides some talking frogs.  More guards, from whom we 
find out that we want to speak to some Epopts.  Great word.

Head inside to find more guards (man, am I loving the pink armor; Rosa, pay 
attention), who scoff at the idea of a prince being washed up on their shores. 
Hey, don't we know a prince who might concievably have taken too deep a dip?
Take the left exit from this room to find a path to the infirmary.  Injured
people and story lie within.

Well, in the SNES version, you would have been like "no, please, stay in bed--
we're so tired of you hiding when we need to heal you!", but I kinda want him to
take the chance and give us some more free regen.  You get a plot item, learn
that Rydia didn't make it (but, seriously, do we believe that at this point?), 
and reveal Cecil's psychic abilities; we haven't followed the plot, yet, but he
already knows what the Epopts are presumably going to tell us.

Return to the previous chamber and take the right-hand exit.  There are three
descending staircases in here.  The one on the left isn't useful to you yet;
the one in the middle leads to a lousy Bacchus's Wine hidden in a pot in the
corner; and the one on the right leads to several chests.  You can obtain two
Tents, two Hi-Potions, two Ethers, and two Ruby Rings.

It's time to return to the central chamber and proceed past the chancellor to 
meet with the Epopts.  Make sure you choose all of the dialogue options that
indicate, as you revealed to Edward, that you already knew all about the Dark
Elf and his nefarious schemes.

On your way in, stop to chat with the guard on the right.  Are you serious?
Really?  Mobility?  That's original.

TROIA COUNTRYSIDE
Monsters: Treant, Mortblossom, Cave Naga, Ettin Snake

Before you head north to find a way to Lodestone Cavern, you're going to need
to assemble an alternative to the metal equipment you're probably loaded down 
with.  

Lodestone Cavern is on an island to the north, but your Airship can't land 
there; there are too many trees.  Dust off your hiking boots and head north 
through the forest.  Be prepared for several random encounters along the way.
The damn Treants cast Stop ad nauseum, so put them at the top of your 
kill-them-fast list.

You're looking for a Chocobo Forest all the way at the north end of the 
continent.  Hey, look purple, uh, black chocobos!  These guys can fly, but they
can only land in forests, and the return trip will always take you straight
back here.  Less convenient than Airships, but necessary to reach Lodestone 
Cavern, which is to the east.

LODESTONE CAVERN - B1
Monsters: Cait Sith, Needlehog, Ogre
Treasure: Hi-Potion, Unicorn Horn
Map Completion: Ether

As you were warned, metal equipment is a bad idea here.  Here's what I recommend
for each of your characters: Kenpo Gi armor for Cecil, Yang, and Cid; Sage's
Surplice for Tellah.  Wizard's Hat for Cecil; Feathered Cap for Tellah; Headband
for Yang and Cid.  Ruby Ring for everyone; it's cute how silver is suddenly
magnetic.  The only weapon you should have to worry about is Cecil's; 
unfortunately, you have no choice but to pick your favorite element and buy a 
Shard from the shop in Troia.  This is, without a doubt, the least useful
Cecil will ever be as a fighter.  He does so little damage that he's mostly a
healing battery.

Follow the path all the way to the right to collect a Hi-Potion from the chest.
Backtrack to the fork and head down.  There's another chest containing a
Unicorn Horn right above the exit.

LODESTONE CAVERN - B2
Monsters: Cait Sith, Needlehog, Ogre
Treasure: Ether x2, 2000 gil
Map Completion: Vampire Fang x3

Follow the path to a bridge going left and take it.  Make your way down to a
chest containing an Ether, and then backtrack.  Make sure you head far enough
right to fill in your map.  A door to the right of the second bridge leads to a
small area with two treasure chests containing 2000 gil and an Ether.  Continue
left to the exit.  This map can be a little tricky to complete; there's a corner
near the exit that can only be filled in from just below the bridge, even though
it seems like it's further away.

LODESTONE CAVERN - B3
Monsters: Cait Sith, Needlehog, Ogre, Succubus
Treasure: Hi-Potion, Spider Silk, Bronze Hourglass
Map Completion: Silent Bell x3

Head left to a door leading to a save point, then follow the path in its 
generally downish manner.  When you come to the bridge, skip it for now and 
continue down and to the right to a room with chests.  Collect a Hi-Potion,
Spider Silk, and Bronze Hourglass.  Now backtrack to the bridge and cross it.
First go south to fill in the map, and then follow the path up to a door to a 
small area with a chest containg Faerie Claws.  Exit stage right.

LODESTONE CAVERN - B4
Monsters: Cave Naga, Ettin Snake, Cave Bat, Succubus
Treasure: Emergency Exit
Map Completion: Dry Ether

Follow the path left and take the second bridge to a save point before 
backtracking to the ominously statue-flanked way forward.  From here, you can 
skip the door and head left and down to a chest containing an Emergency Exit.
Then, go forward, and face the music.  Reequip your guys in their cool
magnetic equipment first, though.

*Boss Fight: Dark Elf*
Start off by having Cecil cast Protect and Tellah cast shell.  After that, the
competent people should just attack while the old fogey casts Cure every round.
You may have to jump in there with some extra healing, but the important thing
is not to burn through your MP, because this is over pretty quickly.

*Boss Fight: Dark Dragon*
Without giving you a chance to reequip, save, etc., Dark Elf morphs into Dark
Dragon.  This is the real battle.  Keeping everyone alive is priority, and so is
casting Slow on your enemy.  Poison, Silence, and Blind are some other
relatively cheap status-effects that will help you out a lot.  For the most 
part, save Tellah's MP for these and for healing; your fighters will do the
bulk of the damage.  If you're careful and you let Cecil share healing duties,
Tellah should still have enough MP at the end of the fight to cast a Teleport,
making your exit much easier.

After you win, don't forget to collect the Earth Crystal before high-tailing it
out of here.

TROIA CASTLE
Treasure: Hi-Potion x2, Remedy x2, Ether x2, Dry Ether x2, Echo Herbs x2,
Elixir, Silver Apple, Great Bow, Ice Arrows, Fire Arrows, Lightning Arrows,
50k gil, 5000 gil

Head back to see the Epopts for some story.  Kain has clearly been spending his
free time learning to be a first-rate ventriloquist.

Be sure to chat with the Epopts (I'm never getting tired of that word) before 
leaving, as one of them gives you permission to loot the basement you weren't
allowed to before.  Exit back to the main room, take the main exit, and then 
take the left staircase.  In the chests, you'll find two each of Hi-Potions,
Remedies, Ethers, Dry Ethers, and Echo Herbs; an Elixir, a Silver Apple, a Great
Bow, Ice Arrows, Fire Arrows, 50,000 gil, 5000 gil, and Lightning Arrows.  That
sure was nice of those Epopts; they must be under the impression that we're 
returning the Crystal of Earth to them.

Now that you've collected your loot, go pay a visit to Edward, the guy who just
saved your butt.  Depending on what augments you gave him before, he has some to
give you now.

When you're ready for more plot, hop in the Airship.

TOWER OF ZOT - 1F
Monsters: Marionette, Marionetteer, Purple Bavarois, Centaur Knight, 
Frost Beast
Treasure: Flame Mail
Map Completion: Zeus's Wrath x5

Gee, and I really thought that he'd just make the swap.  If you head to your 
left, you can leave the Tower by walking into the portal.  Unfortunately, you've
lost control of your Airship, so I hope you didn't want to go anywhere without
a handy patch of forest for the black chocobos to land in.

Start by filling in the map to your left and right.  Go back to the central area
and take the path going up and to the left to find a chest with a Flame Mail.
Fill in the rest of the map before heading to the upper-right portion where the
exit is.

TOWER OF ZOT - 2F
Monsters: Centaur Knight, Purple Bavarois, Gremlin, Ice Lizard
Treasure: Flame Sword
Map Completion: Heavenly Wrath x3

Follow the path left and up.  The exit is all the way to the left, but you'll
have to do a bit of walking around to fill in the map.  There's a chest 
containing a Flame Sword and an enemy ambush if you follow the path all the way 
down and to the right.  The fight is against a Flame Dog, so be careful if 
you've equipped your characters to deal fire-based damage.  Watch out for the
Blaze attack that can decimate your party's HP and keep everyone healed, and you
should be fine.

TOWER OF ZOT - 3F
Monsters: Ice Lizard, Black Knight, Soldieress, Fell Turtle
Map Completion: Blue Fang

This is another floor where filling in the map involves irritating backtracking.
Head all the way right, then up, loop back down and go left, fill in the map in 
this big loop, backtrack to the first loop and continue up and left to the exit.

TOWER OF ZOT - 4F
Monsters: Sorceress, Soldieress, Ice Beast, Ice Lizard, Fell Turtle, Black 
Knight
Treasure: Gaia Hammer, Sage's Surplice, Hell Claws, Flame Shield
Map Completion: Elixir

You start out with only one way to go, so go that way.  Head up at the first 
fork, and then left for a door to the next floor and a treasure chest containing
a Gaia Hammer, which Cid should equip immediately and spam every turn for earth-
elemental damage to all enemies.  Backtrack to that last fork and go right,
heading up the stairs to a chest with a Sage's Surplice.  Backtrack again and go
up for another door leading to a chest with Hell Claws.  Keep going left along 
this path and all the way down for a Flame Shield.  Now back track to the lower
path and continue right past the fork and all the way up to the exit (finally!).

TOWER OF ZOT - 5F
Monsters: Ice Beast, Ice Lizard, Soldieress
Map Completion: Bronze Hourglass x3

Follow the path down.  See that door?  Inside is a save point.  Use it!  
Continue along the path...

*Boss Fight: Magus Sisters*
Your enemies have a pretty set pattern of attacks.  Cindy heals, Mindy casts
offensive spells, and Sandy casts Reflect on Mindy.  This is probably the order
you want to take them out in.  Tellah should start by casting Shell on everyone
and then Haste on Cid, Cecil, and Yang, in that order.  After that, he's on 
healing duty; just be careful to use items instead of spells if you need to heal
someone who caught a reflected Reflect.  Cid is, by far, your most valuable
character in this fight; he should do nothing but spam that Gaia Hammer.  Cecil
should generally attack, or pitch in with healing as needed, and Yang can either
Kick or just Attack. 

Go back and save.  Let's make the upcoming Tellah vs. Golbez Battle Royale a
bit more of a challenge by removing all of Tellah's gear before we continue on 
our way.

Continue to the next floor and head up for some epic storyline stuff.  

When that's over, don't forget to pick up the one-to-three shinies that are 
laying around, depending on how many Augments you gave Tellah.  Next, go see how
buddy is doing.  His body didn't get corpse-invisibility or whatever, so he's 
probably more or less okay.

Watch the touching reunion, etc., and equip your new buddies.  I recommend 
keeping Cid and Rosa in the back row.  Start heading for the exit...

Follow the path down.  See that door?  Inside is a save point.  Use it!  
Continue along the path...

*Boss Fight: Magus Sisters*
Your enemies have a pretty set pattern of attacks.  Cindy heals, Mindy casts
offensive spells, and Sandy casts Reflect on Mindy.  This is probably the order
you want to take them out in.  Tellah should start by casting Shell on everyone
and then Haste on Cid, Cecil, and Yang, in that order.  After that, he's on 
healing duty; just be careful to use items instead of spells if you need to heal
someone who caught a reflected Reflect.  Cid is, by far, your most valuable
character in this fight; he should do nothing but spam that Gaia Hammer.  Cecil
should generally attack, or pitch in with healing as needed, and Yang can either
Kick or just Attack. 

Go back and save.  Let's make the upcoming Tellah vs. Golbez Battle Royale a
bit more of a challenge by removing all of Tellah's gear before we continue on 
our way.

Continue to the next floor and head up for some epic storyline stuff.  

When that's over, don't forget to pick up the one-to-three shinies that are 
laying around, depending on how many Augments you gave Tellah.  Next, go see how
buddy is doing.  His body didn't get corpse-invisibility or whatever, so he's 
probably more or less okay.

Watch the touching reunion, etc., and equip your new buddies.  I recommend 
keeping Cid and Rosa in the back row.  Start heading for the exit...

*Boss Fight: Barbarricia*
Open up with a Slow from Rosa, followed by Shell; Cecil should start by casting
Protect.  Barbarricia counters physical attacks, so, after that, Cecil should 
stick to using items, healing spells, and Cover on Rosa.  Cid's Gaia Hammer 
isn't useful at all here, so keep him on the Item Patrol, too.  Yang will be
your primary physical attacker, and he should always Focus a couple of times 
before going, to minimize the number of counter attacks he draws.  If
Barbariccia turns into a tornado, she'll be invulnerable until Kain Jumps on 
her, so make sure he's always available for that.  This fight might feel like 
it's taking a while, but that's mostly because only two of your characters get
to do anything.

_________________________
CH. 9: THE UNDERWORLD
_________________________

We're back in a place that Rosa is clearly very familiar with.  When Kain's done
explaining the plot, head outside and pick up your fabulous remote-controlled
Airship!

We're supposed to be looking for some place to do something with that key item
you just got, but we're going to take a detour first.  Head back to Lodestone
Cavern and make your way all the way back to the crystal chamber.  I know, I
know, but there's an augment lying on the floor for you to collect.

If you've been frugal thus far, you might have the money to buy a Member's Writ
in the pub in Troia.  Definitely do so if this is the case.  Give it to the man 
standing in the back of the pub and explore your new horizons...or whatever.
If you head for the door through which the dancers enter, you'll find a secret
path leading to the Gil Farmer augment.  It's a good idea to give this to 
someone who spends a lot of time in your party, like, say, Cecil.  Just saying.

When you're ready to pursue the plot, hop in your Airship and fly to Agart, an
island almost directly south of Baron.

AGART
Treasure: Hi-Potion, Phoenix Down, Cottage, Potion, Gaia Drum, Antarctic Wind

The house in the lower left is the home of an astronomer who will let you look
through his telescope, if you're interested.  If you take the stairs behind the
pond and go all the way down to the end of the outcropping, there's a Hi-Potion
hidden in the bushes.  You can find a Phoenix Down behind the bush obstructing
the right-hand path around the little patch of raised ground south of the lake,
and a Potion in the smaller bushes above that.  There's a Cottage hidden behind
the bush east of the pond.  Namingway is hanging out in the house just to the 
east of the pond, and there's a Gaia Drum hidden in the bushes to the left.
There's an Antarctic Wind in the small bushes below the house.

Namingway's new request for you is that you find him some Rainbow Pudding.  This
is a rare drop from all flan-type monsters, so good luck.

When you're done checking out the town, head to the well in the very center of
town.  Toss the Magma Stone down the hatch.

Finish up any business you may have top-side, and then fly your Airship over to 
the newly created belly button of the world.

The ship's on auto-pilot for now, while you watch some story happen.  Hey, 
tanks!  I gotta get me one of those.

When you regain control, head south.  

DWARVEN CASTLE
Treasure: Gysahl Greens x3, 5000 gil, Dwarven Axe, Ether x2, Elixir x2, Silver
Hourglass, Power Armlet, Hi-Potion, Bacchus's Wine x2, Black Belt Gi, 
Cottage x3, Bomb Fragment

It's not much of a hike to safety.  When you enter, head straight up.  Cid's 
going to be pretty busy with his busted Airship for a while, so now's a good 
time to relieve him of any good equipment he may be carrying.

You can head through the left exit if you need to rest or buy any items, but
your exploration of the castle is limited for now.  There's also 5000 gil to be
found in the corner to the left of the counter, right where you see what looks
like a coin box on the counter.  When you're ready, head to the throne room, 
which you can reach by going up from the first indoor chamber.

*Boss Fight: Chuckie x6*
Okay, you're actually fighting Calca x3 and Brina x3.  Rosa should start out by 
casting Slow while Cecil casts Protect.  It might seem like a really good idea 
to go nuts with Yang's Kick here, but each of the six dolls gets a chance to 
counter that.  If you're going to be doing mass attacks, take a few turns to 
Focus first.  If you don't manage a quick victory, you'll have to fight the 
survivors in their merged form: Calcabrina.

Watch some story, and then...

*Boss Fight: Golbez*
Start this fight off by casting Slow on Golbez, Shell on the party, and having 
Kain jump.  If you can pull all three off, you'll be in good shape, but there's
not a lot of room for error here.  After a bit, all of your characters but Cecil
will be auto-killed.  When you regain control, revive Rosa as quickly as 
possible.  Cast Libra to determine what elemental damage to go for, and then 
have Rydia summon or cast black magic to take Golbez down.  Cecil and Rosa will
be too busy healing the trio to bother bringing Yang or Kain back to life.  If
Rosa does get a spare turn, you're better off taking a chance on Prayer to get 
Rydia some free MP back, but you should be fine without it.  It takes about 
three successful summons to defeat him.

I like it better when deus ex machina lets ME win.

After the battle, King Giott outlines your new plan.  Instead of racing Golbez 
to the next crystal and either getting there moments too late or doing all the
hard work for him so he can simply snatch the prize out of your hands, you're 
going to let Golbez go after the next one while you sneak into his tower and
steal the other seven.  This dwarf guy could probably get us out of Iraq, too,
if he put his mind to it.

Now that you're free to explore the castle, have at it.  Don't forget to heal
your party and go shopping.  Give your new Augment to Cecil to replace Cover, if
you want my advice, and, if you don't, what are we doing here, anyway?  If you
found and delivered the Rainbow Pudding to Whoeverway, he'll be hanging out in
the Pub here, and you can get the Eye Gouge Augment from him.  

If you head back to the inn and take the stairs in the right part of that room,
you'll come to a hallway in the middle of which is the dwarf who will let you 
use the secret passage.  Past that, there's a place to summon a Fat Chocobo, or
Godsbird, as is the local parlance; there are three Gysahl Greens in the pots 
to the right of the nest.  Head up the stairs here to reach the weaponsmith and
armory.  The lower left stairs lead back to the chamber before the throne room;
take the door between the two counters.

This is the pub, but it seems pretty sparse for the place where the dwarves go
to get drunk.  Aren't they supposed to be a little more lusty than that?  If
you check the lower portion of the right-hand wall, you'll find a secret passage
leading to another area.  You've found the Developer's Office!  Talk to 
everyone here and check the bookshelf.  Return to the counter you passed before
and place the "magazine" you found on the counter to the right of the caped
guy.  When you're done, go downstairs and pick up the shiny.  It's the Reach 
Augment.

When you're done, return to the shops and take the stairs in the upper right.

You're now in the EAST TOWER - 1F, where you can find a treasure chest
containing a Dwarven Axe.  The dude on the second floor informs you that this 
stuff is yours for the looting, possibly in a passive-aggressive bid to remind
you that he knew you were going to take it anyway.  All that's in here is a
Bacchus's Wine hidden in the pot by itself to the left of the ascending
staircase.  You can access it by walking under the pots at the bottom of the 
room.  Keep going up.  The Ether is easy to reach; you can get the Silver
Hourglass and Power Armlet to your right and left, respectively, by aiming for
a secret passage in the lower portion of the adjacent wall.  You can use the 
same passage to traverse the lower wall and find an Elixir in the chest below.

Return to the first floor of the East Tower and take the exit in the lower part
of the room to reach the battlements, from which you can access the 
aptly-named West Tower.  Head up to the second floor.  If you go around the pots
on the left side of the room, you can get between them and the wall and find a
Bacchus's Wine in the cluster all the way to the right.  For all the dwarven
generosity, that's it for here.  Go upstairs.  The chest on the left is easily
accessed; the other chests are accessed through a secret passage running inside 
the walls.  Start by heading up when you're still inside the doorway to the 
first chest.  You can collect a Hi-Potion, Elixir, Black Belt Gi, and an Ether.

When you're finished, head back to the door that was previously guarded.  The 
door leads to an area with three chests containing three Cottages.  In the next
area, there's a suspicious patch of blank floor that you can't actually walk on;
check it for a Bomb Fragment.  Is it just me, or did the developers really drop
the ball with hidden items?  (If you're having trouble finding it, it's almost
straight below the third dwarf from the right, where the floor changes color, 
and a little to the left.)  There's a fabulous pot of free healing behind 
another dwarf all the way to the left, and the exit is below him.

UNDERWORLD OVERWORLD
Monsters: Armadillo, Magma Tortoise, Fell Turtle, Goblin Captain, Black Lizard,


Sorry, couldn't help myself.  (Would you prefer "Hell Countryside"?)

The Tower of Babil is to the north, but it wouldn't hurt to spend a little time
leveling Rydia up when you're this close to free healing.  Her HP could really
use some implants.  As you approach the Tower, you'll see a trio of cute blue
tanks valiantly attempting to blow up the monolith.  I sort of hope they don't
succeed while I'm inside.

II.  TOWN SHOPPING LIST
_____
BARON
_____

INN - 50

SUNDRIES
Potion 30
Phoenix Down 100
Gold Needle 80
Eye Drops 30
Antidote 40
Tent 100
Bestiary 50

SUNDRIES II (return to Baron)
Hi-Potion 150
Echo Herbs 50
Maiden's Kiss 60
Gnomish Bread 100
Red Fang 5500
White Fang 5500
Blue Fang 5500

WEAPONSMITH (return to Baron)
Thunder Rod 700
Healing Staff 480
Flame Claws 350
Ice Claws 450
Lightning Claws 550

ARMORER (return to Baron)
Headband 450
Kenpo Gi 4000
Silver Armlet 650



_____
KAIPO
_____

INN - 50

SUNDRIES
Potion 30
Phoenix Down 100
Gold Needles 80
Maiden's Kiss 60
Eye Drops 30
Antidote 40
Tent 100
Emergency Exit 200

WEAPONSMITH
Rod 100
Staff 160
Bow 220
Arrows 50

ARMORER
Leather Cap 100
Clothing 50
Leather Clothing 200
Iron Armlet 100

_____
FABUL
_____

INN - 100

SUNDRIES
Potion 30
Phoenix Down 100
Gold Needle 80
Maiden's Kiss 60
Eye Drops 30
Antidote 40
Tent 100
Gysahl Greens 50

WEAPONSMITH/ARMORER
Flame Claws 350
Ice Claws 450
Lightning Claws 550
Demon Helm 980
Demon Armor 3000
Demon Gloves 800

_______
MYSIDIA
_______

INN - 200

SUNDRIES
Hi-Potion 150
Phoenix Down 100
Gold Needle 80
Echo Herbs 50
Antidote 40
Cottage 500
Emergency Exit 200
Bestiary 50

ARMORER
Wizard's Hat 700
Gaia Gear 500
Silver Armlet 650
Lustrous Shield 700
Lustrous Helm 4000
Knight's Armor 8000
Gauntlets 3000

WEAPONSMITH
Ice Rod 220
Flame Rod 380
Healing Staff 480
Power Bow 700
Holy Arrows 500

____
MIST
____

INN - 50

ARMORER
Bard's Tunic 700

WEAPONSMITH
Whip 3000
Dancing Dagger 5000

_______
MYTHRIL
_______

INN - 500

SUNDRIES
Maiden's Kiss 60
Mallet 80
Diet Ration 100
Bomb Crank 1200
Arctic Wind 1200
Heavenly Wrath 1200

ARMORER
Mythril Shield 1000
Mythril Helm 3000
Mythril Armor 17000
Mythril Gloves 2000

WEAPONSMITH
Mythrill Staff 4000
Mythril Knife 3000
Mythril Hammer 8000
Mythril Sword 6000


_____
TROIA
_____

INN - 400

WEAPONSMITH
Wooden Hammer 80
Fireshard 300
Frostshard 300
Thundershard 300

ARMORER
Leather Cap 100
Feathered Cap 330
Clothing 50
Leather Clothing 200
Ruby Ring 1000

SUNDRIES
Potion 30
Hi-Potion 150
Phoenix Down 100
Gold Needle 80
Maiden's Kiss 60
Eye Drops 30
Antidote 40
Tent 100

SUNDRIES II (Pub)
Gysahl Greens 50
Bomb Fragment 200
Zeus's Wrath 200
Antarctic Wind 200
Member's Writ 100,000

_____
AGART
_____

INN - 50

SUNDRIES
Potion 30
Hi-Potion 150
Phoenix Down 100
Gold Needle 80
Echo Herbs 50
Eye Drops 30
Antidote 40
Tent 100

ARMORER
Iron Shield 100
Iron Helm 150
Iron Armor 600
Iron Gloves 130
Iron Armlet 100

WEAPONSMITH
Rod 100
Staff 160
Spear 60
Boomerang 3000
Bow 220
Power Bow 700
Iron Arrows 50
Holy Arrows 500

______________
DWARVEN CASTLE
______________

INN - 600

SUNDRIES
Gysahl Greens 50
Bomb Fragment 200
Zeus's Wrath 200
Antarctic Wind 200
Bestiary 50
Gnomish Bread 100
Emergency Exit 200

SUNDRIES II
Potion 30
Hi-Potion 150
Phoenix Down 100
Cottage 500
Remedy 500
Cross 100
Echo Herbs 50

WEAPONSMITH
Dwarven Axe
Great Bow
Blinding Arrows
Flame Sword
Flame Lance

ARMORER
Flame Shield 1250
Flame Mail 20000
Sage's Miter 2000
Sage's Surplice 1200
Rune Armlet 2000

III.  CLOSING NOTES

Thanks for reading!  Final Fantasy IV is my favorite game of all time, and this
is my first playthrough of the DS version.  If you pick up on a secret that I've
missed, drop me an email at karasuman@aol.com.

Please do not repost any part of this guide on another site.  If you see guide
on a site other than gamefaqs.com or cavesofnarshe.com, I'd appreciate an email.
Because this guide will comprise a major portion of the FF4DS coverage on the
Caves of Narshe, permission will not be granted to incorporate this into any
other website.