o---------------------------------------------------------------------o | FINAL FANTASY VIII | | | | SEED RANK GUIDE | | Version 1.3 | | | | By The Admiral | | Email: Admiral1018@yahoo.com | o---------------------------------------------------------------------o INTRODUCTION ------------ The SeeD rank system is one of the most pervasive elements of Final Fantasy VIII. Yet, despite its substantial presence in the game, there is surprisingly little accurate information available on how it works. You can find a large and varying amount of writing about this topic in FAQs and on different websites, but none of them, to date, come close to accurately explaining how these ranks are calculated and what really affects them. This guide explains how SeeD ranks are calculated, what factors affect this calculation, how and when you are paid, and which events in the game will affect your rank. Some of the explanations for the SeeD rank mechanics may be slightly technical, so a shortened, non-technical description can be found in the "Quick Summary" section at the end of the guide. Please note that this guide also assumes you have completed the game or at least have a good deal of familiarity with the game play and story line. This guide does contain some plot spoilers, particularly in the "Fixed SeeD Events" section, so please keep that in mind if you haven't completed Final Fantasy VIII yet. ======================================================================= DISCLAIMER SR00 ======================================================================= This FAQ is meant for personal use only and cannot be reproduced for commercial use under any circumstances. No portions of this guide may be reproduced, in part or in entirety, without the consent of the author. If you would like to use any part of this guide in your FAQ or website, I will probably give you permission if you ask, but you must ask first (Email: Admiral1018@yahoo.com). Final Fantasy VIII and all characters are copyright of Squaresoft. ======================================================================= CONTENTS SR01 ======================================================================= To jump to any section of this guide quickly, click the Edit option on the toolbar, then go to Find and type in the index number listed in the right column. DISCLAIMER.........................................................SR00 CONTENTS...........................................................SR01 HOW SEED RANKS ARE CALCULATED......................................SR02 DETERMINING SEED EXPERIENCE........................................SR03 CALCULATING WHEN YOU ARE PAID......................................SR04 INITIAL SEED RANK (FIRE CAVE AND DOLLET MISSIONS)..................SR05 FIXED SEED EVENTS..................................................SR06 SEED EXAMS.........................................................SR07 SEED SALARY........................................................SR08 QUICK SUMMARY......................................................SR08 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.........................................SR09 REVISION HISTORY...................................................SR10 CREDITS............................................................SR11 ======================================================================= HOW SEED RANKS ARE CALCULATED SR02 ======================================================================= The game determines your SeeD rank based on an unobservable variable known as "SeeD experience." SeeD experience works on a 100 point scale per rank, and your current rank, when updated, is equal to [SeeD experience/100], rounded down. For example, if your SeeD experience is 2510, you will be at SeeD rank 25; once it reaches 2600, you will be promoted to level 26. SeeD rank A is reached at 3100 experience. There are four things that affect your SeeD experience: 1.) For each enemy that one of your characters defeats, your SeeD experience goes up by one. 2.) Each time you are paid, your SeeD experience goes down by 10. 3.) Each time you take a SeeD exam, your SeeD experience is rounded up to the next rank. 4.) Fixed events in the game will raise or lower you SeeD rank. When this happens, your SeeD experience is increased by a specified amount for the event (usually 100 SeeD experience). A few of these fixed events are: the Timber train mission, Missile Base mission, Shumi village quest, getting scolded by Instructor Aki. A complete listing of these events can be found in the "Fixed SeeD Events" section of this guide. In short, you can raise your SeeD rank by taking tests or killing enemies. Enemies killed by GFs do not count towards your SeeD experience, but enemies killed by Odin, Gilgamesh, or Phoenix do. Running from battle does not have any effect on your SeeD experience. Your rank will fall naturally if you are paid enough times and your SeeD experience falls below the threshold for the next rank down. Taking a SeeD test raises your SeeD experience exactly enough to take you to the next rank. This means that it doesn't matter whether your experience is 2500 or 2599 when you take a SeeD test -- in both cases, the test will raise it to 2600. Therefore, it makes sense to take more than one SeeD test at a time, so you get a full 100 experience points from additional tests. Taking SeeD tests once your rank is A will have no effect on your SeeD experience. The SeeD experience scale is capped at 3110. This explains why your rank will often seem to fall from A to 30; unlike other ranks, you cannot be part way to the next level up. Your rank will drop every time you reach rank A, unless you kill 10 enemies before the next time you are paid. ======================================================================= DETERMINING SEED EXPERIENCE SR03 ======================================================================= • The number of kills that are factored into your SeeD experience comes directly from your 'Character Report' screen (first upgrade to the Battle Meter). Kills obtained by any character that appears on that screen (even Seifer and Edea) will have an effect on your SeeD experience. What is significant when computing your experience is the change in those totals from when you are last paid, not the actual totals themselves. (Note: If you use an editor to lower the number of kills that one of your characters has, even if that character is no longer in your party, you will see your SeeD rank drop). • Your characters are credited with a kill if the enemy is defeated in any of the following ways: normal attack, limit attack, offensive magic attack, Card, Devour, Kamikaze, Chocobo summon (Gysahl Greens), and Phoenix summon (Phoenix Pinion). A kill made in any of these ways will count towards your SeeD experience. • Your characters are NOT credited with kills if the enemy is defeated by Doom, Break, Poison damage, Regen damage (if undead or Zombied), or any GF summoned by the GF command. Also, any kills made by an enemy you have confused will not count, as well as kills made by magic reflected back at the enemy from enemy casters. A kill made in any of these ways will not affect your SeeD experience. • Running from battle has no effect on your SeeD experience. If a battle has multiple enemies, any enemy defeated before escaping does count as a kill and affects your SeeD experience. • Kills made by Odin, Gilgamesh, or Phoenix are actually credited to one of your characters. The credit goes to the character in the first position on the battle screen, even if that character is dead. These kills all count towards your SeeD experience. • Kills made before you even have a SeeD rank count towards your SeeD experience. This includes any enemies defeated in the Training Center, Fire Cavern, or Dollet. • Kills made during the Laguna dream sequences are credited to the character that "becomes" Laguna, Kiros, or Ward. These kills also count towards your SeeD experience. ======================================================================= CALCULATING WHEN YOU ARE PAID SR04 ======================================================================= With the exception of SeeD exams and fixed events, changes made to your SeeD experience will not affect your rank until the next time you are paid. The SeeD payment schedule is based on the number of steps you take, and this total can be found on your 'Battle Report' screen. At each payment period, you are paid a fixed amount of gil (a full table can be found in the "SeeD Salary" section below). When the payment bar appears, you are deducted 10 SeeD experience and then paid for the rank corresponding to that experience level. If you are paid and your rank changes, you will see the first rank appear and then the new rank scroll up. You are paid the value shown on the second number, which is your current rank. If you are paid and take a SeeD Exam before the payment bar fades, you will see your new rank scroll up. However, since this new rank was attained after you were paid, you receive the value denoted by the first number that appeared. You are paid each time your characters take 24575 steps. There does not seem to be any randomness to this number at all. It doesn't matter if your SeeD rank is 1 or A, if you are in a dungeon, town, or world map. This figure is constant. (Where does this number come from? My guess is that it is [2^13 + 2^14]). The total number of steps reported on the Battle Report screen does not tell you anything in itself. The only thing that matters is the change from the last time paid. Because of this, knowing that it takes 24575 steps until you are paid next is not very useful unless you are tracking your step total at each payment period. There are some situations where steps are recorded on your Battle Report screen but not counted towards payment. These include the steps you take before you have a rank, the Laguna dream sequences, and a few of the events where the game moves the characters for you. The vast majority of the time your steps will count, even during most of the fixed events and the instances where your characters can move but a CGI is playing in the background. The physical steps you see your characters take do not correspond to the number you see on the Battle Report (BR) screen. Each step you see represents a larger number of recorded steps, and the different modes of transportation will also increase the number of steps at different rates. On the world map, there are different types of movement that correspond to the number of steps taken. Both your character and a chocobo have "move" and "turn" animations, and these count as a different number of steps on the BR screen. A "move" is defined as a single, physical step forward. A "turn" is seen when you push the opposite direction from the one your character is facing; the character will do a half step and change direction slightly. The number of steps that change on the BR screen with the physical movement seen goes as follows: Mode "Move" "Turn" ==== ====== ====== Character 3 steps 4 steps Chocobo 7 steps 8 steps Steps are also counted when driving cars, and will increase once you travel a certain distance in 1 step increments. Steps are not recorded when moving in the Garden or the Ragnarok. Steps are recorded differently when walking in a town or dungeon. Here, it doesn't matter what direction you move in, but only if you run or walk. Mode Run Walk ==== === ===== Character 5 steps 3 steps Basically, the fastest ways to increase your number of steps are to walk on the world map with either a chocobo or to drive an automobile. Walking around with your character on the world map is clearly the slowest way. ======================================================================= INITIAL SEED RANK (FIRE CAVE AND DOLLET MISSIONS) SR05 ======================================================================= Your starting SeeD rank is based on your performance during the Fire Cave mission and the Dollet SeeD missions. Your course of action in 6 different areas determines what your starting rank is. These areas are: Conduct, Judgment, Attack, Spirit, Attitude, and Bonus. The maximum number of points you can earn for each category is 100, and the minimum and maximum scores you can have are 10 and 600, respectively. Your starting SeeD rank will be anywhere from 1 to 10 depending on your performance during the Fire Cave and Dollet missions. Conduct ------- This category measures how promptly you follow the order to withdraw from Dollet. The more time left on the timer when you return to the shore, the higher your score will be. The timer stops either when the CGI video of the X-ATM092 starts or when you reach Quistis at the ship. The scoring goes as follows: Time Remaining Score ========= ===== 25:00 or more 100 24:59-24:00 90 23:59-23:00 80 22:59-20:00 70 19:59-19:00 60 18:59-17:00 50 16:59-15:00 40 14:59-10:00 30 9:50-6:00 20 5:59-3:00 10 2:59-0:00 0 Judgment -------- This measures how well you can estimate the time needed to defeat Ifrit during the Fire Cave mission. The less time you have remaining on the clock after Ifrit is defeated and the GF naming screen has ended, the higher your score will be. It does not matter which of the four times you choose when entering, only how much time is left at the end. Whether it is a bug or not, the timer for this mission ends only after Ifrit is named, not when the battle ends, as most sources report. This means that, despite it no longer being shown, the timer still counts down during the experience, battle items, and naming Ifrit screens. Fortunately, you cannot receive a "Game Over" if the timer expires after defeating Ifrit, but you can let it count down to zero for a full 100 points. To take advantage of this, kill Ifrit and note the time left on the clock. Now, once the battle screen pops up, wait the amount of time you saw remaining on the clock (or slightly more, just to be sure). You should be able to easily and safely get the maximum points on this section by following this method. If you don't want to exploit the way the timer works, you can still get the highest score in this category by dealing the finishing blow to Ifrit with between 20 to 12 seconds remaining. His dialogue and animation after defeat take about 10 seconds, and you will have a Game Over if the timer runs down while he is speaking. This is not as safe as letting the timer run down after battle, but it is a little more challenging. The scoring for this section goes as follows: Time Remaining Score ========= ===== 0:00-0:07 100 0:08-0:29 90 0:30-0:59 80 1:00-1:59 70 2:00-2:59 60 3:00-9:59 50 10:00-10:59 40 11:00-11:59 30 12:00-12:59 20 13:00-13:59 10 14:00-14:59 5 15:00 or more 0 Attack ------ Your score in this section is based on how many enemies you defeat during the Dollet mission. The more enemies you defeat, the higher your score will be. Any kills made by Squall, Zell, Selphie, or Seifer will count. Defeating any of the bosses in Dollet also counts towards your total. When fighting the X-ATM092, you will receive credit for one kill the first time you lower its HP to zero in each battle; you will not receive credit for a kill by lowering its HP to zero again in the same fight. This section uses the same criteria for defining a kill as is used when tabulating SeeD experience. The scoring goes as follows: Number of Enemies Defeated Score ================ ===== 75 or more 100 25-74 80 20-24 50 15-19 30 10-14 20 0-9 0 Spirit ------ The Spirit score depends on how many times you run from a battle during the Dollet mission. Each time you run from the X-ATM092, including the first, counts as an escape. To get a perfect score, therefore, the only time you can run from a battle is the first encounter with the X- ATM092, which is the only mandatory encounter. It takes a little work, but it is possible to avoid running into the X- ATM092 more than once. On the screen with Selphie's cliff jump, make a sharp enough turn and you will avoid it. On the next screen down, hold the button to walk and the X-ATM won't appear; if you run, you will encounter it every time. On the bridge, go to the right until the X- ATM jumps over you. While it is in the air, start running left. When it tries to jump over you going left, start running right again while it is in mid-air. You should be able to clear the bridge at this point. Here are the scoring criteria for Sprit: Number of Escapes Score ========= ===== 1 100 2 70 3-4 50 5-9 30 10 or more 0 Attitude -------- Your attitude score measures how closely you follow the guidelines for action during a SeeD mission. Unlike the others, Attitude starts at 100 and is decreased each time you violate one of the rules of conduct. These rules, for the most part, are rather arbitrary and never fully explained in the game itself. Note that if you defeat the X-ATM092, the 'Attitude' category is replaced by the 'Point(s) Deducted' category on your SeeD Rank Report. As far as I can tell, this is a bug, as the score that appears in that slot is calculated the same way as your attitude score and is always positive. There are a large number of rumors present in various guides about what actions affect your Attitude score. Below is a list of all the correct actions, along with the number of penalty points each carries. You lose points each time you perform the action, not just the first. You are deducted for the following: • Talking to almost anyone from the time Squall changes into his SeeD uniform. This includes Cid, the instructors, and residents in the town of Balamb, members from the other training teams, and the Dollet soldiers. Do not talk to any of the members in the submarine when given the choice. You will not be deducted for talking to members currently in your party. You are only required to talk once during the entire mission, and this is to Seifer in the Town Square [1 deduction] • Disregarding Sefier's order in the submarine [1 deduction] • Moving towards the Comm Tower when stationed in the Town Square before Seifer orders you to [1 deduction] • Talking to Biggs after you defeat him [2 deductions] • Using Selphie's cliff jump [5 deductions] • Failing to save the dog from the X-ATM092 (press 'talk' to save it) [10 deductions] • Hiding in the cafe when the X-ATM092 passes [20 deductions] Despite what you may read otherwise, you are NOT deducted for any of the following: • If you chose to walk around instead of using Selphie's cliff jump, she will ask you why you didn't jump off the cliff. It doesn't matter which response you give once Zell questions you. • Leaving the Town Square with Seifer at zero HP, or having any members of your team killed off at any time has no affect on your score. • On your way to the Comm Tower, you will enter a battle with an Anacondaur. Seifer says to save the killing blow for him. It doesn't matter whether you let him get it or not. • On your way back from the Comm Tower (if you defeat the X-ATM092 or let it pass), Zell will scold you if you try to go back. You don't receive any deductions for this. • When you return to Balamb Garden, Cid will ask you how it felt to be in battle. It doesn't matter which response you give him. You can calculate your score based on the number of deductions you received from the table below: Total Deductions Score ========== ===== 0 100 1-8 80 9-13 70 14-17 50 18-24 30 25 or more 10 Bonus ----- You will receive a 100 point bonus on your SeeD rank report if you manage to defeat the X-ATM092. It is possible to defeat it, and you can accomplish this in any battle except the first. For more details on how to defeat the X-ATM, see the "Frequently Asked Questions" section below. Note that if you defeat the X-ATM092, the 'Attitude' category is changed to the 'Point(s) Deducted' category on your SeeD rank report. Tabulating Your Rank -------------------- Translating your actual actions on the SeeD mission into a final SeeD rank is not very easy, and, surprisingly, the score you receive on the SeeD Rank Report is not used to determine your starting rank. Each set of actions have a specific point modifier that is used to determine your rank but never shows up in the course of the game. In the tables below, "SeeD Score" is the total you will visibly see on the SeeD Rank Report, while the "Modifier" category is the value used in calculating your rank. Note that there can be several different modifiers at the same SeeD Score (Attitude in particular, which has increasing penalties even after you've received the minimum score of 10). After finding your score from the modifier table below, the following formula is used to compute your rank: Initial Rank = ([500 + Sum of Modifiers]/100) + Bonus Basically, to find your rank, start with 500, add all the modifiers you receive, then divide by 100. If you defeated the X-ATM092, the "Bonus" variable will be 1, thereby raising your SeeD rank a whole level. If you didn't kill it, the "Bonus" is zero, which has no effect on your rank. The resulting value is then rounded appropriately up or down to generate the SeeD score you receive. Any values below 1 will set equal to 1, and any values above 10 will be set equal to 10. Here are the modifier tables for each category. Credit goes to CzarDragon for looking into the game to come up with this information, which has all been verified through actual testing. Conduct ------- Time SeeD Conduct Remaining Score Modifier ========= ===== ======== 25:00 or more 100 80 24:59-24:00 90 70 23:59-23:00 80 60 22:59-20:00 70 50 19:59-19:00 60 30 18:59-17:00 50 20 16:59-15:00 40 10 14:59-10:00 30 0 9:50-6:00 20 -30 5:59-3:00 10 -50 2:59-0:00 0 -100 Judgment -------- Time SeeD Judgment Remaining Score Modifier ========= ===== ======== 0:00-0:07 100 100 0:08-0:29 90 80 0:30-0:59 80 70 1:00-1:59 70 50 2:00-2:59 60 30 3:00-9:59 50 0 10:00-10:59 40 -50 11:00-11:59 30 -60 12:00-12:59 20 -70 13:00-13:59 10 -90 14:00-14:59 5 -90 15:00 or more 0 -100 Attack ------ Number of SeeD Attack Enemy Kills Score Modifier =========== ===== ======== 75 or more 100 100 50-74 80 75 25-49 80 50 20-24 50 50 15-19 30 0 0-14 20 -50 0-9 0 -100 Spirit ------ Number of SeeD Spirit Escapes Score Modifier ========= ===== ======== 1 100 100 2 70 50 3-4 50 0 5-9 30 -50 10 or more 0 -100 Attitude -------- Total SeeD Attitude Deductions Score Modifier ========== ===== ======== 0 100 100 1-8 80 70 9-13 70 50 14-17 50 30 18-24 30 0 25-29 10 -50 30-39 10 -60 40-49 10 -80 50 or more 10 -100 ======================================================================= FIXED SEED EVENTS SR06 ======================================================================= There are certain events in the game that will always raise or lower your SeeD ranking. Most of the events alter your rank a full level (100 SeeD experience), but some have smaller amounts that you can earn depending on your actions. Your SeeD rank will never go below 1, and penalties you receive while your rank is 1 will not carry over to when it goes up. Similarly, any bonuses you receive while your rank is at level A will not count. SeeD events can never push your SeeD experience above 3100, even though the cap is 3110. Here is a listing of the fixed events: Showing off your Gunblade ------------------------- Right after the Fire Cave test when you get Ifrit, there will occasionally be two students sitting on the floor outside the classroom on the 2F of Balamb Garden. The student on the left will comment that Squall and Seifer are gunblade specialists, and ask to see your gunblade. If you show it to him, Instructor Aki will come scold you, warning that you will penalized. When you finally get your SeeD rank after the Dollet mission, your rank will have decreased by 1. Effects: -1 Rank. Trying to sneak out of Balamb Garden ------------------------------------ This event occurs on the night of your SeeD graduation (the night that has the CGI scene of the ballroom dance). Both before and after you go to the training center with Quistis, you will be able to walk around Balamb Garden. If you try to leave the Garden from the main entrance, the gatekeeper will warn you that it is after hours. Attempting to leave 3 times will result in your SeeD rank decreasing by 1. You will continue to lose one SeeD rank each time you attempt to escape after that. Effects: -1 Rank (Repeatable). Timber Train Mission ---------------------- Your rank will change during the presidential train hijacking mission depending on how many times you are caught by the sensor guards when you are inputting the access codes. If you escape without being caught at all, your rank will go up by one. If you are caught between 1 and 9 times, your rank does not change. If you are caught more than 10 times, your rank goes down by 1. Effects: Number of Effect on Times Detected SeeD Rank ============== ========= 0 +1 Rank 1 to 9 No change 10 or more -1 Rank Escape the Tomb of the Unknown King ----------------------------------- When you are in the Tomb of the Unknown King, you will have the option of automatically leaving by checking the auto-map and pressing the cancel button. Each time you do so, your SeeD rank will go down by 1. The game will warn you ahead of time that you will be demoted if you opt to escape. Effects: -1 Rank (Repeatable). Missile Base Mission -------------------- You can increase your SeeD rank by up to 2 levels depending on how you perform during the Missile Base mission. You will face many junctures where you are asked to make a decision, but only three of these have any bearing on your rank: passing on the correct information to the soldiers, choosing to fight or not, and the amount of time you set for the self-destruct mechanism. The change in your SeeD rank is based on the number of penalty points you accumulate for your various actions. Here are some more details on the three areas that are scored during the mission: • You will receive a small penalty if you relay the wrong message between the two inspectors and the soldier in the missile hangar. The correct response is the "...to go on ahead" choice. • At several points during the mission, you will have the option of talking your way out of a situation or fighting. This includes the dialogue after you damage the circuit room and the conversation asking you to help move the missile silos. Choosing to fight at any point will result in the same severe penalty. You are not penalized in this area if you remain disguised until the mandatory fight in the missile control room. • Before you exit the base, you need to set a detonation time on the self-destruct mechanism for anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes. The longer the time you set, the greater you are penalized. Note that if you chose to fight (above category), you will need to change the error ratio after setting the detonation time, as opposed to beforehand if you don't fight. This means that it will be very hard to escape in time if you choose both the 10 minutes option and you chose to fight. Note, there is a shortcut door in the detonation room that will only open once the self-destruct timer is less than 20 minutes. Here are some things that have absolutely no effect on your SeeD rank during this mission, despite what you may read otherwise: • Your actions when you approach the first guard. • Your responses when asked how to break the panel in the circuit room. • The answer you give the wounded soldier who gives you the [ID Card] item (he only appears if you chose to fight your way through the base). • The amount of time remaining when you complete the mission. To determine your score, start with 200 SeeD experience and deduct points for any actions as listed below. Completely a perfect mission will net you two full SeeD ranks. Even if you chose all the worst options at each juncture, you will still earn at least 5 SeeD experience for completing the quest. • Relaying the wrong information [-7 points] • Relaying the correct information [no deduction] • Choosing to fight your way through the missile base [-105 points] • Choosing to remain disguised and play along [no deduction] • 10 minutes on timer [no deduction] • 20 minutes on timer [-15 points] • 30 minutes on timer [-45 points] • 40 minutes on timer [-75 points] • Additional penalty: If you receive any deductions in more than one category, you will be penalized a small, random amount of points. This penalty will always be between [-3 and -8 points]. The change in your SeeD experience after this mission will be +200 less any penalties you received from the listed actions above. Scolded by Aki again -------------------- During a short interval after you defeat NORG and before you arrive at FH for the first time, there will be a boy outside the classroom on the 2F of Balamb Garden. He will ask to see you cast some magic. If you agree, Squall casts the Blizzard spell, and Instructor Aki appears to yell at him. This decreases his SeeD rank by one, and can only happen once. Effects: -1 Rank. Master Fisherman Sidequest -------------------------- This is one of the most frequently missed side quests in the game, and most FAQs either entirely omit it or leave out certain parts of it. This quest can only be completed the first time you are in FH, right after the Garden is mobile and crashes into it. Completing this quest will earn you some nice items and 20 SeeD experience. The steps are rather complicated, so they will be presented as a mini- walkthrough below. Note that you do not need to complete the events in the exact order listed, but you must do them before you leave FH. Some of them are just part of the normal events that happen when you arrive in FH, but they are still included. 1.) Right after you arrive in FH, visit the Master Fisherman (MF). You can get to him by taking the ladder down on the screen that has the large, rusted silo and the elevator on the far right. The ladder will be on the left side of the screen, and it's very easy to miss if you don't look carefully for it. 2.) Talk to the MF and he'll ask you what you have done. It doesn't matter which response you give, and you will receive Occult Fan III after answering. Talk to him again and he tells you to check up on his pupil near the docks. 3.) Go to the docks and talk to the boy in the fishing boat. Give him the following responses when you speak with him: "Sort of, "I saw him," and "I was sort of... impressed." The boy will attempt to cast the fishing line and will be yelled at by the junk shop owner. 4.) Go to Mayor Dobe's house. He speaks with you about when you are leaving and orders his technicians to repair the Garden. (Side Note: Be sure to use the Ultima draw point on the right side of the room, visible with the Move-Find ability equipped. Also, this is the earliest you can play Dobe for the Quezacotl card). 5.) After leaving Dobe's house, you will learn that Galbadian soldiers have arrived in FH. Dobe will come out and try to reason with them. Follow him to the train station. He tries speaking to the soldier and is eventually threatened. Squall will be given the choice to "help" or "listen longer;" it doesn't matter which you choose, as Squall always assists anyway. 6.) You will now enter two battles, the first with three Galbadian soldiers and the second with the BGF251F2 ("Iron Clad"). You will be reunited with the rest of your party after the fights, and Squall will now get to walk around on his own. (Side Note: You can mug an Adamantine from the Iron Clad, which is very useful at this stage of the game). 7.) Return to the boy by the docks and speak with him again. He will try to cast the fishing line again and will succeed this time. He asks you to go tell the MF. 8.) Go back to the MF and speak with him again. You should encounter Irvine on your way there, and he will tag along with you. The MF will tell Squall that he likes him, and asks to meet him at the Inn. 9.) Follow the tracks up to the Grease Monkey's house, which is on the same screen you fought the Iron Clad. You will find a Galbadian soldier threatening the Grease Monkey inside, and he asks you to step out and fight him. When you go back in, the Grease Monkey will tell you that the soldier ran away, and you will receive a Mega-Phoenix that he dropped. (Note: This step is optional, but can only be done during the point when you have Squall and Irvine in your party. You do not need to have completed the above steps to do this one). 10.) Meet the MF on the second floor of the inn. He will tell you about the history of Dobe (which used to be spelled Dobey) and some things about FH. After he asks you to keep him company, choose the "Why not...?" response. 11.) Follow the MF outside. You will see him stop and talk to all the townspeople along the way. He will go to the docks and scold both the Junk Shop owner and boy when they start arguing. 12.) Speak to the junk shop owner, and this will engage a conversation about the MF's history and the founding of FH. You will be prompted for responses twice, but it doesn't matter which answer you give either time. At the end of the talk, the MF will give you a Megalixir. This officially ends the quest, and you should receive the 20 SeeD experience at this point. Finding the Captain in Balamb ----------------------------- You can raise your SeeD rank up to a full level depending on the method you use to find the Captain during the occupation of Balamb stage. The following steps are the same, regardless of which method you choose: 1.) Go to Zell's house and enter the second room. You will see his mom greet you, and she will talk about the Commander and the occupation. 2.) Head over to the Balamb Hotel and speak to the guards standing in front. They will tell you that you need to find the Captain before you can see the Commander. 3.) Go to the second harbor screen and talk to the guard standing next to the dog. He will tell you that the Captain was recently there and just caught some fish. 4.) Head over to Zell's house and you will see smoke pouring out of the front. Talk to Zell's mom and she tells you that the Captain was just there and cooked some fish. She thinks he went to share it with his men. Note in the above instructions that you do not need to do step 1 first, but you cannot go onto step 4 until you have. At this point, you have some choices as to how you can find the Captain: the "board the train" method and the "use the dog" method. To find the Captain with the "board the train" approach, head to the train station. You will see that one his men is sick and lying down by the entrance to the train. Talk to him repeatedly, and he will inch away from the stairs. After a while, he will have moved far enough to allow you to board the train. Head over to the Hotel after the Captain is awakened. To find the Captain through the "use the dog" approach, go back to the harbor and talk to the dog that was next to the original soldier you spoke to. Now that you have the Captain's scent, the dog will start running until he finds the Captain. Just follow the dog and then head for the Hotel once the Captain is awakened. There are a few bits of incorrect information that are often printed in guides with regards to how certain parts of this quest effect your SeeD rank. The following actions have NO effect on your rank. • You can pay the Tabloid Guy behind the trucks at the harbor for clues. Talking to him, regardless of which of his clues you purchase, has no effect on your rank. • Helping out the 'Big Bad Rascal' has no effect on your rank. Doing this entails distracting the guard while the Rascal sneaks out and speaks with the Hotel owner. Helping the boy does allow you to leave town if you choose to, and it let's you win the Pandemona card by playing the girl in the first house (Hotel owner's daughter). • Leaving town has no effect on your rank. Your rank on this quest is affected in the following way: Method of Change in Finding Captain SeeD Rank =============== ========= "Board the train" +65 SeeD experience "Use the dog" +100 SeeD experience Shumi Village Sidequest ----------------------- Shortly after Balamb Garden is first mobile, you can go to Shumi Village and complete the stone-collecting sidequest for a Phoenix Pinion. Doing so will net you 50 SeeD experience. A quick walkthrough of the stone-collecting quest is as follows: 1.) Go to the workshop on the far left side of the village. Talk to the sculptor and he will give you permission to see the Elder. 2.) Visit the Elder's house. He says he will present you with a gift, but asks that you help the sculptor first. 3.) Return to the sculptor and help him find the stones he asks for. If you get stuck, you can speak to the specialist for tips (he is the first Shumi sitting by the rock once you get out of the elevator). The stone locations are as follows: • Blue Stone – The large stones right behind the Laguna statue in the workshop. • Wind Stone - Search the rocks to the left of the inn and above where the specialist is sitting. • Life Stone - Examine the tree roots that are growing down the cliff just to the right of the Elder's House. • Shadow Stone – Take the elevator back to the surface. In the room with the Ultima draw point, look for a spot on the right side where all the shadow lines cross. Search here and you'll find the stones. • Water Stone – Look in the sink in the Artisan's house, which is the one right next to the workshop. 4.) After gathering the stones, return to the Elder and you will be rewarded with a Phoenix Pinion. At this point, your SeeD experience will increase by 50. The Shumi sidequest continues after this, but no further actions affect your rank. Defeating Ultima Weapon ----------------------- Your SeeD rank will increase if you defeat Ultima Weapon, the optional boss in the Deep Sea Research Center (DSRC). To find this location, fly the Ragnarok to the southwestern corner of the map and you will see an old ship with a landing pad. On your first trip there, you get the GF Bahamut. When you return, there should be a giant hole you can crawl into, and this leads to Ultima Weapon (NOTE: after defeating Bahamut, you need to return inside the Ragnarok before you can go down into the Deed Sea Research Center. You only need to talk to Irvine to take off, and then the path inside the DSRC should be opened). It doesn't matter whether you defeat Ultima Weapon on disk 3 or 4. Effects: +1 Rank. ======================================================================= SEED EXAMS SR07 ======================================================================= One of the quickest ways to raise your SeeD rank is to take SeeD exams. For each exam that you score a 100% on, your SeeD rank will be rounded up to the next highest level. You can first take SeeD exams after you get your initial rank from the Dollet mission. You can access these exams by going to the Menu screen, then selecting Tutorial and choosing the TEST option (fourth one from the top). You can take up to the test number equal to Squall's current level. For example, if Squall is at level 12, you can only take up to SeeD test 12; you will need to wait until he is at level 13 to take the next exam. Taking tests once your rank is A does not affect your rank. Here are the answers to the 30 SeeD exams. The spacing is designed to make the answers easier to read, and doesn't indicate anything about the questions themselves. ________________________ ________________________ | Exam # | Answers | | Exam # | Answers | |________|_______________| |________|_______________| | | | | | | |Exam 1 | YN YYY NNY NN | |Exam 16 | YN NYN YNN YN | |Exam 2 | YN YYY NYY NN | |Exam 17 | YN NNY NNY NN | |Exam 3 | NN YNY YYN YN | |Exam 18 | YN NNY NNN NN | | | | | | | |Exam 4 | NY YYN NYY NN | |Exam 19 | YN NYN NNN NY | |Exam 5 | NN NYY NNY YY | |Exam 20 | YY NYN YYY NN | |Exam 6 | YN YYN NYY NY | |Exam 21 | YY YYN NYY YN | | | | | | | |Exam 7 | YY YYY YNY YN | |Exam 22 | NN NYN NNY YN | |Exam 8 | NY NNY YNN YN | |Exam 23 | YN NNN YYY YY | |Exam 9 | NY NNN NNN YY | |Exam 24 | YY NNY YNN NY | | | | | | | |Exam 10 | YN NNN NNN YN | |Exam 25 | YN YYY NNY NN | |Exam 11 | YY NYY NYN NY | |Exam 26 | YY NYN YNY NN | |Exam 12 | NY NNY NYN YN | |Exam 27 | NY NNN NYN YN | | | | | | | |Exam 13 | YN NNY NNN NN | |Exam 28 | YN NYY YNY NN | |Exam 14 | YY YYN YYN YN | |Exam 29 | NN NYY NNN YN | |Exam 15 | YY NNN NNY NY | |Exam 30 | NY NNN NYN NN | |________|_______________| |________|_______________| ======================================================================= SEED SALARY SR08 ======================================================================= Each time you are paid, you receive a fixed amount of gil depending on your current SeeD rank. The amount of money you receive increases steadily in 1,000 gil increments until level 15, after which point it increases at 500 gil per level until rank 30. At rank A, you will earn 30,000 gil each payment. The table below lists your salary payments at each rank. _______________________ _______________________ | SeeD | | | SeeD | | | Rank | Salary | | Rank | Salary | |________|______________| |________|______________| | | | | | | |Rank 1 | 500 gil | |Rank 16 | 13,000 gil | |Rank 2 | 1,000 gil | |Rank 17 | 13,500 gil | |Rank 3 | 1,500 gil | |Rank 18 | 14,000 gil | |Rank 4 | 2,000 gil | |Rank 19 | 14,500 gil | |Rank 5 | 3,000 gil | |Rank 20 | 15,000 gil | | | | | | | |Rank 6 | 4,000 gil | |Rank 21 | 15,500 gil | |Rank 7 | 5,000 gil | |Rank 22 | 16,000 gil | |Rank 8 | 6,000 gil | |Rank 23 | 16,500 gil | |Rank 9 | 7,000 gil | |Rank 24 | 17,000 gil | |Rank 10 | 8,000 gil | |Rank 25 | 17,500 gil | | | | | | | |Rank 11 | 9,000 gil | |Rank 26 | 18,000 gil | |Rank 12 | 10,000 gil | |Rank 27 | 18,500 gil | |Rank 13 | 11,000 gil | |Rank 28 | 19,000 gil | |Rank 14 | 12,000 gil | |Rank 29 | 19,500 gil | |Rank 15 | 12,500 gil | |Rank 30 | 20,000 gil | | | | |Rank A | 30,000 gil | |________|______________| |________|______________| ======================================================================= QUICK SUMMARY SR08 ======================================================================= You can raise your SeeD rank by killing enemies and taking SeeD exams, and your rank drops if you are paid 10 times without fighting any monsters. Killing enemies in almost any way except through summoning a GF will help raise your rank. Running from battles has no effect on your rank. You are paid based on the number of steps you take, so walking around in any area will help you get paid more quickly. Your mode of transportation affects how many steps you take, so you can get paid even quicker if you ride a Chocobo or drive an automobile. There are several events in the game that raise or lower your rank, depending on your actions. Here is a list of these events: • Initial SeeD rank from Dollet mission (Rank = 1 to 10) • Getting yelled at by Aki for showing off your gunblade (-1 rank, even though you don't have one yet) • Trying to sneak out of the Garden on graduation night (-1 rank) • Timber Train Mission (+1 to -1 rank) • Using the quick escape from Tomb of Unknown King (-1 rank) • Galbadian Missile Base mission (up to +2 rank) • Getting scolded by Aki for using magic inside the Garden (-1 rank) • Completing the Master Fisherman Quest (+[1/5] rank) • Finding the Captain during the Balamb occupation (up to +1 rank) • Completing the Shumi Village sidequest (+[1/2] rank) • Defeating Ultima Weapon (+1 rank) To achieve a high score on the first SeeD mission, do the following: • Defeat Ifrit with as little time on the clock as possible • Kill as many enemies as you can • Never run from any battles if it can be avoided • Return to the shore as quickly as you can when given the withdraw order • Do not talk to anyone outside of your party during the mission • Do not disobey any of Seifer's orders, or try to go on without him • Do not use Selphie's cliff jump short-cut • Be sure to save the dog when being chased by the X-ATM092 (press 'talk' to save it) • Do not hide in the cafe when the X-ATM092 is chasing you
 • If you are strong enough, try to kill the X-ATM092; this will give 
   you bonus points



=======================================================================
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS                                         SR09
=======================================================================
Q: Why does my rank always drop from A to 30 as soon as I get paid?

A: This is because of the way the game keeps track of your rank, and is 
   perfectly normal.  In order to prevent your rank from dropping, you 
   need to kill 10 enemies after reaching rank A to keep it at A the 
   next time you are paid.  If you fail to do this, your rank will drop 
   every time. 
   --------------------------------------------------------------------

Q: How can I make a lot of money through SeeD payments?

A: SeeD payments are certainly not the quickest way to raise gil, but 
   there are a few things that will speed up the process if this is 
   your method of choice.  First, take as many SeeD exams as you can.  
   You get paid more at each higher rank, and SeeD tests are the 
   quickest way to raise your rank.  Note that you can take up to the 
   test number equal to Squall's current level.  Second, find some 
   place where you can freely walk around without interruptions, as 
   your SeeD payments are based on the number of steps you take.  The 
   best way to do this is through riding a Chocobo on the field or 
   walking around in a town or dungeon (with Enc-None equipped).  After   
   taking enough steps, you will be paid.  Repeat for as long as 
   desired, and take additional SeeD exams to raise your rank if it 
   drops.

   A far quicker way to make money is by using the "Infinite Gil 
   Trick," or one of its variations.  To perform the trick, you need GF 
   Carbuncle with the Recov Med-RF ability learned.  It also helps 
   immensely if you have GF Tonbery with the Call Shop, Familiar, 
   Haggle, and Sell High abilities learned.  Basically, the trick works 
   like this:
   1.) Go to Johnny's Shop in Esthar.  It may be closed at first, but 
       enter repeatedly and you will eventually be able to shop there.  
       Once visited, it will appear on the Call Shop list as "Esthar 
       Shop!!!"
   2.) Purchase 100 Cottages and 100 Tents.  Johnny's Shop is the only 
       place that sells Cottages.  If you missed it or are not at that 
       point yet, use any other shop that sells Tents.
   3.) Using Recov Med-RF, refine the 100 Tents into 25 Mega-Potions 
       and the 100 Cottages into 50 Mega-Potions.  You can save a good 
       deal of time by moving Tents, Cottages, and Mega-Potions to the 
       top of your item list.
   4.) Sell the Mega-Potions for a huge profit.  Having learned 
       the Haggle and Sell High abilities will increase your profit 
       margin from this trick.
   5.) Repeat as desired, ad infinitum.

   Using this trick, it's possible to net over 1 million gil per 
   minute, which is useful for purchasing stat refining items near the   
   end of the game.  An alternative version of this trick involves    
   gathering Mesmerize Blades and refining them into Mega-Potions.  The 
   steps are the same after that, but this method is much slower.
   --------------------------------------------------------------------

Q: You mentioned the "Battle Meter."  What is this?

A: The Battle Meter is a series of screens on your menu that provide  
   information about the game.  There is the original Battle Meter and 
   two upgrades you can get for it.  Here is where to find them:

  • Battle Meter: This opens up the "Battle Report" menu, which 
    displays the number of steps you've taken and the number of 
    battles/victories/escapes you've had.  You get it by talking to Cid 
    after the Initial SeeD rank mission in Dollet, after he is finished 
    debriefing you.  If you fail to get it at this point, you can still 
    receive it by going back to the 3F and talking to Cid at any point 
    before you leave for Timber for the first time.  If you don't get 
    it before this, there is no way to get it in your current game.

  • Upgrade 1: This opens up the "Character Report" menu, which 
    displays the number of kills and KO's that each of your characters 
    has, including Seifer and Edea.  You get this upgrade by playing a 
    card game with the prisoner on the 10th floor of the D-District 
    prison on disk 2.  You must have the Battle Meter from Cid in order 
    to get this upgrade, otherwise the card player will always say 
    "......" when you try to play him.  Once you beat him in a game of 
    cards, your Battle Meter is upgraded.

  • Upgrade 2: This opens up the "GF Report" menu, which displays the 
    number of kills and KO's that each of your GF's has.  You get this 
    upgrade by playing cards with the man that randomly appears in 
    Balamb Garden's training center on disk 2 or later.  This man 
    sells items and is also the CC Group Joker member, so you must  
    complete parts of that sub-quest before you can challenge him.  
    Note that this player also carries the Leviathan card that you can 
    win.  If you succeed in defeating him in a card game, he will   
    upgrade your Battle Meter.  Again, you must have the original 
    Battle Meter from Cid to receive this upgrade.
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Q: You said you can defeat the X-ATM092.  How is this possible?

A: The X-ATM092 can be defeated, but it may take a bit of preparation 
   beforehand.  You can kill the X-ATM092 in any battle except the 
   first (despite what the guides say, you do not need to kill it on 
   the bridge).  The X-ATM has anywhere from 3 to 5 "lives" that you 
   need to take away before you can kill it.  To take away one life, 
   the X-ATM needs to pick itself up after being knocked down.  This 
   will happen if you let it repair itself fully or if you deplete its 
   HP to zero, in which case it stops repairing and gets right back up.  
   After taking away the 3 to 5 lives, the X-ATM092 will no longer go 
   into repair mode, and you can kill it by depleting its HP to zero at 
   this point.

   Some strategies for fighting the X-ATM092 are as follows.  Make sure 
   that Squall and Zell have Str-J and Elem-Atk junctioned.  Try 
   junctioning Thundera or Thuderaga to Elem-Atk, and a strong spell 
   like Quake or Tornado to Strength.  You can get all these spells 
   through playing cards and doing some minor refining (this 
   information is available in several other guides).  Alternatively, 
   you can draw the –aga spells from level 30 and above Galbadian 
   soldiers in Dollet.  Since the enemies level up with your party, 
   your best bet is to kill off Zell and Squall and level Seifer to 60 
   in Dollet -– this will put your party at a high enough level to 
   encounter level 30+ Galbadian soldiers.  Another option is to teach 
   Quezacotl a few of his "SumMag+xx%" abilities.  This will let you do   
   a few thousand damage to the X-ATM092 pretty easily.

   Killing the X-ATM092 will net you 50 AP and a random +40% GF ability 
   item (Giant's Ring, Power Wrist, Orihalcon, Hypno Crown, or Force 
   Armlet).  You can rack up a few hundred AP from fighting the X-
   ATM092 if you deplete its HP to zero and then run from the battle 
   without killing it.  This will give you 50 AP each time, and you can 
   repeat the encounters for more AP until the timer expires.  Note 
   that this is actually harder to do than killing it outright, as you 
   need to reduce its HP to zero before it repairs itself.  Also, 
   running from the X-ATM092 repeatedly will decrease the score you 
   receive in the 'Spirit' category, but you can partly make up for 
   this by killing the X-ATM when before timer expires for 100 Bonus 
   points.
   --------------------------------------------------------------------

Q: I have a question about something in this guide or something that I 
   think should be covered.

A: If you have any questions, feel free to contact me by email at  
   Admiral1018@yahoo.com.  Please include "FF8" in the message title so  
   I don't accidentally delete your email.

   For answers to any other FF8 questions in general, you should make   
   sure to check out the FF8 message board on the GameFAQS.com site.   
   It's one of the best sources for up-to-date FF8 information on the 
   net. 
   --------------------------------------------------------------------


=======================================================================
REVISION HISTORY                                                   SR10
=======================================================================
Version 0.99 – August 27, 2002
  • Preview version

Version 1.0 – August 28, 2002
  • Initial Release

Version 1.1 – August 30, 2002
  • Fixed the penalty points for Missile Base self-destruct times
  • Corrected the information about talking to Irvine in order to enter 
     the Deep Sea Research Center to fight Ultima Weapon
  • Corrected information about when you can visit the Grease Monkey 
     during the Master Fisherman Quest
  • Made corrections to the necessary steps for finding the Captain
  • Added information about kills made by poison and regen
  • Minor additions to the "Attitude" scoring section about having 
     Seifer with 0 HP
  • Minor spelling and formatting corrections

Version 1.2 – October 2, 2002
  • Made some major changes to the method for calculating initial SeeD 
     rank
  • Made a correction to "Attack" score when killing 14-19 enemies
  • Added a question to the FAQ section on making money quickly and on 
     performing the "Infinite Gil Trick"
  • Minor spelling and formatting corrections

Version 1.3 – October 3, 2002
  • Corrected information on when the timer stops counting during the 
     Fire Cavern mission
  • Minor spelling and formatting corrections


=======================================================================
CREDITS                                                            SR11
=======================================================================
Big thanks to everyone who helped me with this guide, especially the 
members at the GameFAQs message boards – this guide would not have been 
possible without your ongoing support.  Particular thanks to the 
following:

• Vilurum, for providing much of the original information on SeeD 
experience and a lot of the supplemental details scattered throughout 
this guide.  Also, big thanks for corrections on MF quest, missile base 
times, talking to Irvine after Bahamut, and kills made by poison and 
regen.

• DaBubba (Mark Rosa - heiankyo794@yahoo.com), for a lot of help in 
figuring out the scoring criteria for the original SeeD mission and the 
alternatives to several of the fixed SeeD events.  You've been a huge 
help in constructing this guide.

• CzarDragon, for determining how the initial SeeD rank is calculated 
and coming up with the complete table of category modifiers used in 
this guide (big thanks).  Credit also for pointing out that 14-19 kills 
resulted in an Attack score of 30 and that the Judgment timer stops 
after naming Ifrit.

• Myst Erik Ery, for helping me work out a lot of the calculations and 
SeeD experience increases for some of the fixed SeeD events.

• Conquest TSi, for helping explain things that didn't make sense with 
some of the SeeD events and trying to decipher the initial SeeD rank 
scoring.

• Sister, for suggesting the correct steps to find the Captain during 
the Balamb occupation.

• A big thanks to xTEIDAx, KADFC, Druff, Marcell herwindo, dhamon, 
SCYTHE262002, simjam, Epic, Bizkit047, ArcImpulse, Quisti, Sky Olivine, 
and Angel Requiem for all your support and assistance in helping me 
write this guide.

=============================END OF GUIDE==============================