Final Fantasy VI Perfect Stats Guide June 23, 2009 By Leviathan Mist Version 1.03 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================================================== Disclaimer ====================================================================== ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This FAQ is the sole work of Leviathan Mist. You are allowed to post this document in its entirety, you are not allowed to change any content in this document and then present it to others. If you have any questions regarding this FAQ, you may e-mail me at: LeviathanMist (at) gmail (dot) com Side note: I have a complete overhaul of this guide planned. I'm aware it's not absolutely flawless but at least it's accurate now. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================================================== Complete version history ====================================================================== ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Version Alpha 0.00 - Initial file. 1.00 - Completed document 1.01 - Initial Release 1.02 - Fixed most of the discrepancies people have been bugging me about - guide still needs an overhaul though. 1.03 - Fixed a few more minor details ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================================================== Table of Contents ====================================================================== ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 - INTRODUCTION 1.1 - Notes on espers and stat increases 2 - WALKTHROUGH 2.1 - The Beginning to Narshe Battle 2.2 - Zozo to Vector 2.3 - Sealed Gate to before Floating Continent 2.4 - Floating Continent and leveling 2.5 - World of Ruin and extra information 2.6 - Summary 3 - STAT INCREASING GUIDE 3.1 - HP and MP maxing 3.2 - General stat information 3.3 - Individual character strategies -TERRA- -LOCKE- -EDGAR- -SABIN- -CELES- -SHADOW- -CYAN- -GAU- -SETZER- -STRAGO- -RELM- -MOG- 4 - EXTRAS 4.1 - Psycho Cyan glitch 4.2 - Vanish/Doom and other tricks SPECIAL THANKS ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================================================== SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION ====================================================================== ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Final Fantasy VI - What do you think of when this game comes to mind? Moogles, espers, the infamous rages list... I'll let you decide. This game has been quite ingrained into my memory since I first picked up a copy of Final Fantasy III for SNES about 10 years ago. There is one aspect which is highly overlooked, however: Stat increasing. Yeah, it's there, but most people don't even know about it until halfway through the game. Some espers produce stat increases every time you level, which means the lower level you are when you get access to stat-increasing espers, the better potential for higher stats you have. If you're looking for any information on stat increasing, and ways to efficiently build your stats, this guide is for you. This is my first completed walkthrough. Yay me! ^_^ =================================== 1.1 Notes on espers and stat increases =================================== Here is the first thing you need to know before planning your stat boosts, certain espers grant stat boosts every time you level. The stat boosts from espers are divided into six categories, and 1-3 levels per category. These are: Category Level Esper Loc. of esper HP Boost - +10% Shoat - (WoB) Magitek Research Facility Siren - (WoB) Received during first trip to Zozo +30% Terrato - (WoR) Umaro's cave +50% Bahamut - (WoR) Doom Gaze drops it MP Boost - +10% Phantom - (WoB) Magitek Research Facility +30% Fenrir - (WoR) Mobliz +50% Crusader - (WoR) Defeat all eight dragons Vigor - +1 Ifrit - (WoB) Magitek Factory +2 Bismark - (WoB) Magitek Research Facility Raiden - (WoR) Ancient Castle (Basement) Speed - +1 Odin - (WoR) Ancient Castle Stamina - +1 Ramuh - (WoB) Received during first trip to Zozo +2 Golem - (WoB) Auction house in Jidoor Starlet - (WoR) Owzer's house in Jidoor Magic Power - +1 Maduin - (WoB) Magitek Research Facility Stray - (WoB) Received during first trip to Zozo +2 Tritoch - (WoR) Narshe hills ZoneSeek - (WoB) Auction house in Jidoor Overview: The best increases you can have in one level up is one of the following: +2 Vigor - Bismark, Raiden +1 Speed - Odin +2 Stamina - Golem, Starlet +2 Magic Power - Tritoch, ZoneSeek +50% HP - Bahamut +50% MP - Crusader ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================================================== SECTION 2 - WALKTHROUGH ====================================================================== ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Now that you have an idea which espers produce the best stat increases, you may be interested on when or how early you can obtain these espers, or if you already know, how to get the most efficient stat increases. This walkthrough will guide you through the game in a way so you can gain the absolute maximum in stat increases. The perfect stat increases walkthrough will be considered a challenge. We will call it the "perfect stats challenge" because it runs almost exactly like a low level game all the way up to the beginning of the Floating Continent. We will do some things differently, however, because as soon as you get all the characters and a good amount of the stat-boosting espers, you will be allowed to level to a certain point. Also, there is one exception (GAU) who will be allowed to level earlier than anyone else, which will eliminate the IAF challenge completely, if you're familiar with a LLG. If not, just read on and you'll learn some things. This guide will be assuming you are playing on a console, so for those of you LLG purists who wish to complain about fighting unnecessary battles, this guide assumes save states are not available to the player, and some battles are either unavoidable completely or just take too long to get perfect without save states. In each case, I have found alternative methods which still allow the maximum increase in stat gain, and most likely keep the lowest level possible until you have reached the Floating Continent. Also, since this is not a challenge of how hard of a boss can you defeat, but a challenge of how perfect you can get your stats, there are no limits on glitch abuse. Use Psycho Cyan, vanish/doom, even the sketching glitch if you feel like it. You can also treat it like a LLG and not use these if you wish. Your choice. The only major rule is you aren't allowed to edit your level or stats by hacking, Game Genie, or any other cheating device. This guide will also be assuming you wish to have a perfect game, so all rages will be accounted for. It is possible to get every rage up to Gigantos in the Floating Continent without gaining any excess levels. This walkthrough will most likely not get you through the game if you have never beaten it before. I suggest you either beat the game or use this alongside another walkthrough before attempting this challenge. I will not be going over how to find important items, unless they are necessary to complete this challenge. Consult other walkthroughs or item lists for that information. If you already know the boss tactics and just want to find how to get the max possible stat increases, refer to section 2.6 - Summary. =================================== 2.1 The Beginning to Narshe Battle =================================== Here are some general tips before you get started: 1. You will run from every random battle unless otherwise noted. 2. All new party members should be placed in the back row immediately. 3. Take advantage of level averaging. When your level is averaged out, your experience points are reduced to the lowest for that level. This will allow you to occasionally take experience you must receive into some party members. You will start in your usual MagiTek self. Do not go to the right first, go straight. This is for convenience purposes, since it's easier to lose to two Guards than one Lobo. Let the two Guards kill Terra while healing Biggs and Wedge with Heal Force before continuing on. (For those of you who are confused right now, Terra is "??????" and Biggs is Vicks if you are playing the SNES version.) With Terra dead, she won't gain any experience. Go through the mines and kill Whelk. You can hang around and gain some Gil here if you must, since you won't be able to again until the Veldt. You will wake up as Terra again, talk to Arvis, leave the house, then go into the mines. Run from every battle, and eventually you will reach the point where you get Locke and eventually the moogles. Let either moogle team fight all the guards, I like using Mog's team because he has dance. Then, use Mog's team to go fight the Marshal, making sure to unequip Mog beforehand, because the shield and pike are the best you're gonna get for a long time. When you leave Narshe, put Locke and Terra in the back row. From now on, every new character you get will be placed in the back row. Go to Figaro, go through the story part. This part of the game is pretty much self-explanatory. Note the two MagiTek Armors you fight give no experience. Next, go to South Figaro through the Figaro Cave and up through Mt. Kolts. (When you go through Figaro Cave the first time, don't pick up any of the treasure chests.) Again, this shouldn't be a problem. To beat Vargas, make sure you attack or use tonics with Locke, cast Fire or Cure with Terra and use Edgar's AutoCrossbow until Sabin appears. Now you reach the Returner's Hideout, and you have an optional opportunity to gain some spare cash here and there. If you kill off everyone but Banon and level him a few times, it will make the forthcoming fight with Ultros 10 times easier. To kill Ultros, use Health with Banon, use Sabin's AuraBolt, Fire with Terra and AutoCrossbow with Edgar. Now you have a choice between three party members. The order you should choose is first Banon's group, then Locke, then Sabin. This way, Banon will have left the party and his level not factored into anyone else's, and you can get every rage up to this point. In Banon's scenario, when you reach the maze part of the Narshe cave, make sure you fail and let the light surround you, and run into a battle until you get the Spectre, Rinn and Dark Side, these are missable rages. In Locke's scenario, run into the HeavyArmor to get that rage, and either run or die. If you die you'll just have to start over and still get the rage. Get Celes then go through Figaro cave. Grab the treasure chests that you didn't get the first time through, you'll get a Thunder Rod, which you'll need later on. Beating TunnelArmor isn't too hard, just Runic every round and have Locke attack or heal when necessary, and eventually you'll win. Do not waste the Thunder Rod on TunnelArmor. Although you can kill it with one hit with this, there is a later battle which is much more difficult which will need it. In Sabin's scenario, get Shadow on your team and buy some shurikens from the chocobo merchant man. (20 or 30 should be enough.) Now at the imperial base, when you go into the tent directly to your right there is a locked chest, and you can either hit it or kick it. Make sure to kick it so you get the Doberman rage, and then later you'll get the Telstar rage from another monster-in-a-box. Before you have a chance to get the other treasures, you'll be forced to fight the Leader of the troops with Cyan at Doma. Just use Retort once to make quick work of this officer. Now, back to your main party, and while you're chasing Kefka, explore all the tents. Eventually you will come across a tent with a monster-in-a-box, containing a Telstar. Telstar won't give you any experience, so kill him using AuraBolt and Shurikens. Keep on your toes though, I almost died during this battle. After the Imperial Base you'll have to go through the Phantom Forest and have an unfortunate encounter with the Phantom Train... It's a shame the Phantom Train decided to be an undead monster, one phoenix down will do away with it. At Baren Falls, just attack normally until you get to Rizopas (each fish has such low life that even in the back row at minimum level they still only take one hit) and then go all out with AuraBolt and Dispatch. Don't waste a turn healing or you may find yourself in a deadly El Nino just before you make the finishing blow. On the Veldt, spend some time working up and gathering up some rages, most importantly Templar, Hazer, Pterodon and Stray Cat. The Serpent Trench isn't a big issue, just run and hope you don't get AquaRaked by an Anguiform. Make sure to buy a few Smoke Bombs at Nikeah. On a side note, in the PS version, I noticed the Stray Cat rage seemed to be dumbed down a bit. Don't bother getting the Stray Cat rage if you're playing the PS version, there are many better options available. Time to fight the evil Empire and Kefka at Narshe! Here's the rule: You can't have Gau, Cyan or Locke gain any experience during this battle, and the only person who is allowed to gain any levels is Terra, up to a maximum of level 6. The reason for this plan is that you will be using Gau, Cyan and Locke for the Mag Roader battle later on, and you will need to gain as few levels as possible in that battle to keep your level average at 6. Also, because Terra will be leaving your party right after this, and won't join you again until the first level re-averaging, it is safe to let her level from 3 to 6 here. Your main group should consist of Terra, Edgar, Celes and Sabin. It is possible to walk all the way to the bottom without encountering a single soldier, here's a short explanation on how to do it. With your main party, walk right until the first passage leading down, then walk down 3 spaces, left 1 space, down 5 spaces, right 3 spaces, down 3 spaces, left 1 space, down 1 space, left 2 spaces. Do this quickly so you avoid the guards to your right, then wait for all the green guards to your left to pass. Now walk straight down between the opening to the left of the lineup of brown guards. You will fight two battles here. To get the minimum amount of experience, fight one group of one Fidor and one Trooper, then fight one group with a HeavyArmor and two troopers, kill the troopers and run. Next, you'll fight a Rider, use AutoCrossbow and AuraBolt to kill him, while healing with Terra and Celes. Now, use one of your other groups to initiate a battle with one of the green soldiers you skipped. You will need the BountyMan rage to complete your Rages list. Once you run into a battle with a BountyMan and Trooper, die. Now go back to your main group and kill Kefka! Use Runic, heal with Terra, AuraBolt and AutoCrossbow to take him out. Character levels at this point: Terra: between 3 and 6 Locke: 5 Sabin: 6 Edgar: 6 Celes: 5 Gau: 7 Cyan: 7 Average: 6 (Not counting Terra) =================================== 2.2 Zozo to Vector =================================== Your next stop will be Zozo. Make your party Edgar, Sabin, Cyan and Gau. At Figaro, make Edgar your leader, and use up some of your gold on cheap items. If you buy too many of one item, it's okay because you can sell it back to the item shop for the same price you bought it for. Also, buy the Flash and Drill tools. At Zozo, go pick up the Chainsaw. The combination is 6:10:50. To beat Dadaluma, use Gau's Templar rage, the Drill tool, AuraBolt and Dispatch, and don't bother with his pets when they appear, just kill him off. Go through more story stuff and get your first magicite. If you want you can go back to the Veldt now, gather up new rages and learn new spells. You will need to learn Imp if you want to use Psycho Cyan to get through the MagiTek Factory (Refer to section 4.1 for more information on the Psycho Cyan glitch.) You can get to the Veldt the same way you got there the first time. I suggest you go to the veldt and teach Locke all the spells you can, they will come in handy for many battles to come. You can now get your first stat point for Shadow. First, go to the Veldt, and leap Gau off. Having him in the party will skew the level average and cause Shadow to join at level 6 instead of 5. After Gau is leapt, head back to Kohlingen and purchase his assistance. Give him Stray and let him gain a level by himself. You can make him leave the party by returning to Narshe. (Note: This is the LAST time you can get Shadow at level 5!) Before going to the opera house, make your party Locke, Celes, Cyan and Gau. In the opera house, after Celes does her show, you will need to prevent Ultros from dropping the 4 ton weight onto her. On the way there, you'll find rats. Run into one group and die. You'll be kicked out of the opera house and have to try again. (Though I seriously don't think anyone could survive after having a 4-ton weight dropped on their head.) Now that you've cleared the Sewer-rat and Vermin rage, go back through and skip all three groups of rats. It's entirely possible without save states, if the first two rats don't immediately move to a position where they can easily be passed, walk out and walk back into the room. It only took me two tries to be able to pass all the rats and get to Ultros. To kill Ultros, have Gau use the Hazer or Templar rage, Cyan use Dispatch during free turns and heal otherwise, and Locke constantly heal. Eventually Gau will finish him off. If you have White Capes on all your members, you will be immune to Ultros' Imp Song. After more of the story passes, you will arrive at the Empire's continent via Airship. The Airship is good for free healing, and there is also a free healing place in Vector. There's a little building with a woman who asks if you pledge allegiance to the Empire. After you refuse, you'll fight guards which you can run from, then be able to heal there instead of wasting money at the inn. Make sure you buy some Wall Rings at Albrook before you continue your journey onward. Go through the MagiTek Factory like normal until you reach the place where you fight Shiva and Ifrit. Ifrit can take your entire party out instantly if he uses Blaze, but if you have the SlamDancer rage and two Earrings on Gau you should be able to kill him in a couple rounds if you get lucky. After you get these summons, you'll have to fight Number 024. He constantly changes his weakness, so it's best to just use the Catscratch rage, Dispatch and heal with Locke until he dies. Before you go into the esper room, equip Celes with the Stray esper and let her gain one level. She will be leaving the party after this, and if you don't let her level now, when you get her back her level will be recalculated from 5 to 6 anyway, and that level would be wasted otherwise. Make sure everyone but Celes is dead when you finish the battle, so only she gets experience, and make sure she only gains one level. The mine cart ride and the following two bosses will no doubt be the hardest part of this challenge. Besides that, you will not be allowed to use the save point they give you right before the mine cart ride, because that will effect which battles you will fight on the cart. You will have to go back to the save point near where you got Shiva and Ifrit and save there before going into the esper room. Then, you'll have to have Celes in position 1 of your group before she leaves. As soon as she leaves, you will have to move Locke to position 1. This will assure you that you fight 8 Purple Mag Roaders and 1 Red. I noticed, at least on the PlayStation version, that the encounter order was random, but it still gave me 8 Purple and 1 Red Mag Roader. Anyway, if you have followed my plan exactly so far then Locke, Gau and Cyan should all have the same amount of experience they had when you first got them, and you should be able to finish this battle with only gaining two levels total. Since you only have one +2 esper (Bismark) you want the same person to gain both levels with Bismark equipped. Since Locke is level 5 and would have his level averaged to 6 after this anyway, Locke will be the one who levels from 5 to 7 here. On the mine cart, if you followed my steps, you will fight (in no particular order) one battle with 1 Purple and 1 Red, one battle with one Purple, and 3 battles with 2 Purple Mag Roaders. To allocate the experience so that you gain no levels with Gau and Cyan and one level with Locke, here is the method I used: -Two of the battles with two purple Mag Roaders must be finished with only Gau and Cyan alive. -The other three battles must be finished with only Locke alive. If you do all of this correctly, you will now have Locke level 7, Cyan level 7, and Gau level 7, all very close to leveling. If you taught Locke all the spells from the original four espers, you should be able to get through this. Cast Bolt 2 with Locke when you have to use him alone, and when you have to use Cyan and Gau, use Dispatch and the Templar rage. It will take a few tries, but you should get through it eventually. Make sure your guys all have Wall Rings equipped, and the Carbunkle esper on someone, for when you have to revive someone in-battle. (They won't be protected by Reflect when they have to be revived in a new battle.) Use up your Tinctures on Locke here as well. Now you have to do battle with Number 128. Try to steal his Tempest sword, and use Gau's Templar rage. You will have to get lucky here, if Gau casts Fire 2 on the arms too much, you may have to reset. An alternative would be to use the Psycho Cyan glitch to do away with him easily. After all that hard work you spent getting perfect experience gains, I think using the glitch is only fair here. After that battle, right before you leave on the airship, you get ambushed by two cranes. Remember that Thunder Rod I told you about? Use it on the crane to the right to kill it instantly. Now the other crane shouldn't be too hard, if you use Gau's Pterodon or Templar rage, Dispatch, Slots and heal up with Locke. Character levels at this point: Terra: 6 Locke: 7 (+4 Vigor!) Sabin: 6 Edgar: 6 Gau: 7 Cyan: 7 Setzer: 6 Average: 6.43 (rounded to 6) =================================== 2.3 - Sealed Gate to before Floating Continent =================================== Next is the Cave to the Sealed Gate. If you want you can spend some time learning extra spells now, but it's not required. The northeast Triangle Island has the Intangir which you can cast Doom on and kill instantly, offering 10 AP to everyone other than the caster who will most likely be Meteo'd to death. Just explore this cave thoroughly, there are some important items here. When you reach the part with two switches on the same rock, hit the left switch. The right switch will cause you to enter an unescapable battle which will probably kill your party anyway. After you finish the Sealed Cave and are shot down near Miranda, go to Vector with the party of Setzer, Terra, Sabin and Edgar. NOTE: This section needs a rewrite! It is definitely possible to get the Charm Bangle here without gaining too many levels, but I haven't done all the calculations. Remember that the remainder of your level average is always rounded DOWN, and you'll be able to gain a few levels here if you need to. You HAVE to fight every battle and win to get the charm bangle. You can get unlimited Charm Bangles at the coliseum later by betting BehemothSuit->Snow Muffler->Charm Bangle (BehemothSuits are won by SrBehemoths on the Veldt). Getting the charm bangle: -You have to find 24 soldiers. 4 of them initiate battles. -You have to fight the SP Forces and win. -During the banquet, answer the questions the following way to get the best result: Question 1 - To our hometowns... 2 - Leave him in jail. 3 - That was inexcusable! 4 - Celes is one of us! -----Ask all three questions------ 5 - Yes, the Espers have gone too far. -----Take a break, beat the guards----- 6 - That your war is truly over. Having the Charm Bangle will make your life in the Floating Continent later much easier. At this point, you will have Terra and Locke in your team, and everyone's experience will now be rounded down. Here is a quick level overview of all characters, the first number being the level they were when they first joined your party, the second number being the level they are now, and the third column explaining why the change happened, if there was one. Terra: 3 => 6 - Rounded before espers were available. Locke: 5 => 7 - Mag Roader battles (+2 Vigor per level) Sabin: 6 => 6 Edgar: 6 => 6 Celes: 5 => 6 - Only +1 espers available (+1 MagPwr) Gau: 7 => 7 Cyan: 7 => 7 Setzer: 6 => 6 Shadow: 5 => 6 - Only +1 espers available (+1 MagPwr) Now, all your characters will be at base experience for their level, which will be important later on for taking in excess experience at the Floating Continent. First, go east to the Imperial Base, and raid the treasures. The gold you get there will come in handy in a bit. Then, go to Albrook. Once you arrive at Thamasa, go to the weapon shop, buy 4 Ice Rods and spend the rest of your gold on Fire Rods. (If you have more than enough gold for Fire Rods, only buy about 8 maximum, you'll need that many to kill Ultros later. It's also fine if you can't afford many Fire Rods, just make sure you have 4 Ice Rods.) If you have a Back Guard on, you will be able to avoid any annoying fights in the burning house. When you first have a choice of doors, enter the one on the right to avoid an inescapable battle. The next two rooms you should also enter the door on the right first, to pick up those rods in the chests. Before the battle with Flame Eater, equip the Siren esper, so the Balloons don't explode and you gain no experience. Also, equip Earrings on all your guys if you have them. As soon as the battle starts, use Siren then start throwing your Ice Rods. You can redirect the Rods to only target Flame Eater by pressing right then left during the targetting process. They are set to target all by default but you must redirect them. Flame Eater should go down after you use 4 or 5 Ice Rods. After this, you will have to go to the Esper Mountain to the southwest of town. If you have the Phantom esper, equip it before Ultros, or if you have the Vanish spell, cast it on all your guys before entering the Esper Mountain. Ultros will not be able to hurt you while you are vanished, at least he never did all five test battles I had with him. He will just try and tentacle you and miss, and you should be able to kill him with the Fire Rods you bought, or if you run out of Fire Rods, with the Templar rage and any Fire or Thunder-based attacks you have. When Relm appears, cast Vanish on her if you have it, otherwise you may have to dish out some Phoenix Downs if she is killed before she can sketch Ultros. After this you will go back to Thamasa and a fun storyline twist occurs. Just remember, with Leo, Shock is your friend! You will be disappointed if you try to attack normally. Too bad you can't steal his Offering relic like in the beginning when you could rob Mog of his pike and shield. Character levels at this point: Terra: 6 Locke: 7 Sabin: 6 Edgar: 6 Celes: 6 Gau: 7 Cyan: 7 Setzer: 6 Strago: 8 Relm: 6 Average: 6.5 (rounded down to 6) Average without Gau: 6.44 (rounded to 6) =================================== 2.4 - Floating Continent and leveling =================================== Now you are just before the Floating Continent, with two characters left to factor in the low level average of 6 to. These are Mog and Shadow. Mog starts as (Level Avg.) + 5, while Shadow starts at (Level Avg.), therefore you should get Shadow first, since getting Mog first may cause your level average to break 7. However, there is good news, and it has nothing to do with saving money on car insurance. (Ha ha ha, old joke. Yeah I know, I'm lame.) Anyway, when you leap Gau off on the veldt, his level does not factor into the average. And because the only two characters left who you don't have, who can equip espers, can join your party with Gau leapt off, you can now level Gau up a huge amount and still get perfect stat increases. On the PS version, you can level Gau up to at most 68 here if you still want perfect HP gains. This is because on the PS version, Gau can get 999 MP naturally and will never need to equip Crusader. However, on the SNES version, you can only level Gau up to about 46 before you have to stop. Either way, even 46 is insanely high for a WoB character, and you should have no trouble taking out the IAF by yourself by around level 25-30, especially if you let Gau boost his Magic Power with ZoneSeek every level. I will not add any more boss tactics here, because now that you have a way to level, there will be many ways to beat forthcoming bosses. I myself have never completed a LLG because of the IAF. There is still one more challenge to overcome though. After you beat the IAF, skip Shadow and go through the entire Floating Continent with only Gau alive. Equip the Charm Bangle to make walking around easier. Make sure to grab all the treasures with Gau, because he can fight and gain experience here. Also, keep ZoneSeek or Bismark on him for every level up. Vigor and Magic Power are the only two stats you should focus on right now, I prefer Magic Power for Gau. Once you get back to the airship, go to the Veldt and leap Gau off, then go back to the Floating Continent with the party Strago, Locke, and Cyan. Equip the Charm Bangle and Back Guard relics, and now you can pick up Shadow, who will join at level 6. Now you have to get all the way through the Floating Continent again. There is one battle which will cause you problems, the Ninja. You can't run from them, and they can kill you in one shot if they use a Fire Skean, Water Edge or Bolt Edge. It's okay to finish off one or two Ninja battles without gaining any levels, if you even survive. You should be able to make it through after a few tries at most, though. Once you make it back to your airship, before getting Gau back, go to Narshe and get Mog by going to the treasure house in the southeast, and then following LoneWolf to the mountains where Tritoch was moved. When LoneWolf has Mog captive and tells you to back off, go into the menu and wait about 3 seconds, then Mog will throw LoneWolf to the edge, and in turn get thrown to the other edge himself. Talk to Mog and not LoneWolf here, and he'll join your party at level 11. Now you can go get Gau back from the Veldt. Now that you have gotten every character with the lowest possible level, you can start leveling all your characters at this point. On the Playstation version, the highest you can level to is 25, because some characters will need to equip the Crusader esper by level 26 to obtain max MP from just one level up. (I will go over HP and MP maxing for both versions in section 3.) In the SNES version, the highest you can level to is 46. In any case, make sure you level every character one at a time, so you can control their stat growth with the right espers, and when you finish, all of your characters should be the exact same level. You will have to level Shadow on the Floating Continent. Just take Gau up with you and have him do all the work. One should have ZoneSeek and one should have Bismark. Both can be efficient fighters as well as casters, so it doesn't matter too much. Level here until Shadow reaches the same level as everyone else. Make sure when you go to finish off the Floating Continent that you leap Gau off beforehand, unless his level is the same as everyone else's, then you won't need to do this. Character levels at this point: Terra: Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25) Locke: Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25) Sabin: Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25) Edgar: Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25) Celes: Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25) Gau: Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 68) Cyan: Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25) Setzer: Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25) Strago: Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25) Relm: Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25) Average: Everyone but Gau should be the same level, thus, the average should also be the same as everyone's level. =================================== 2.5 - World of Ruin and extra information =================================== There are a few things you have to do in the WoR before you can start leveling again: 1. Get all 12 characters. (Get Gau last.) 2. Beat all 8 dragons. (To get Crusader.) 3. Beat Doom Gaze. (To get Bahamut.) 4. Go under Figaro to the Ancient Castle and get Odin. (Do not get Raiden yet.) Consult other walkthroughs for information on how to do all this if you are stuck. You won't need any advanced tips since you aren't forced to be extremely low level anymore. I completed all of this without dying or resetting once. Just make sure you get the Moogle Charm as soon as possible from the spot where Mog was standing in Narshe. =================================== 2.6 - Summary =================================== This section is a quick checklist of the most important things you need to do to achieve a perfect stats game. I only added the things which will directly affect either your experience level or your stats in general. 1. This game is to be considered a LLG up until the Floating Continent. 2. Narshe Battle - Your party should be Terra, Celes, Edgar, Sabin. At the Narshe Battle, skip the Green guards with your main party, then walk straight down into the gap between the wall and the Brown Soldier. Make sure one battle is with a HeavyArmor and two Troopers. Kill the Troopers and run. The other battle should be a Fidor and a Trooper. Finish that battle and kill the Rider. Switch to another group and run into a battle with a BountyMan and Trooper. Die, then kill Kefka with your main party. 3. After getting espers in Zozo, leap Gau on the Veldt then get Shadow at Kohlingen without Gau in your party. Level him from 5 to 6 with the Stray esper equipped. 4. At the opera house, run into a Vermin and Sewer Rat battle. Die. Next try, walk through without running into any battles. 5. Before Celes leaves your party in the MagiTek Factory, equip her with the Stray esper and level her once. Her level will be averaged to 6 the next time you get her anyway, so you might as well give her a stat boost for it. 6. Before the MagRoader battle, have Celes as your person in slot 1. Move Locke to Slot 1 when she leaves, and skip the save point. Equip Locke with Bismark, and do the following: -Two of the battles with two purple Mag Roaders must be finished with only Gau and Cyan alive. -The other three battles must be finished with only Locke alive. 7. Getting the Charm Bangle at the banquet isn't necessary for a perfect game, but it is possible to do in this challenge and will make the Floating Continent easier. 8. In the burning Thamasa house, don't kill any of the Balloons, cast Siren when fighting FlameEater to prevent them from exploding. 9. You can start leveling Gau up before the Floating Continent, up to a maximum of level 46 (SNES) and 68 (PS). 10. Make sure you have leapt Gau off on the veldt before getting Shadow on the Floating Continent, and Mog at Narshe. Get Mog last. 11. Everyone should be the same level before entering the WoR, except Gau, who can be higher but must be leapt off before the WoR if so. Everyone should be equipped with either Bismark or ZoneSeek for each level-up, preferrably ZoneSeek. The highest you can level everyone who is not Gau is 46 (SNES) and 25 (PS) before the WoR. 12. Before leveling in the WoR, get all 12 characters (Gau last), Crusader, Bahamut, and Odin. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================================================== SECTION 3 - STAT INCREASING GUIDE ====================================================================== ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ So you want to know how to make an incredible character stat-wise? This is the place to go! I will start by explaining HP/MP then go on to the main stats. =================================== 3.1 - HP and MP maxing =================================== Final Fantasy VI uses the same HP/MP formula for every character, however, there is a difference in the MP formula between the PS version and the SNES version. I will not bother posting the formula, but I will post which levels I recommend for using the HP and MP boosting espers. (IMPORTANT NOTE!! If I say equip this esper for level 50, that means you equip that esper AT level 49 and then level to 50 with that esper equipped. It does not mean to equip the esper at level 50 and level to 51.) -------------- HP - Either version Any character will end with 9999 HP if they equip Bahamut for levels 69, 70, and 71. -------------- MP - SNES version This formula gives the highest MP boost around level 49. Some characters will need to equip Crusader for 3 levels, some for 4 levels and some for 5 levels to max out MP. Here is a short guide: 3 - (Equip Crusader for levels 48, 49, and 50.) 4 - (Equip Crusader for levels 48, 49, 50, and 51.) 5 - (Equip Crusader for levels 47, 48, 49, 50, and 51.) Here are the individual characters and how many levels it will take to max their MP: Terra - 3 Locke - 4 Cyan - 5 Shadow - 4 Edgar - 4 Sabin - 5 Celes - 3 Strago - 4 Relm - 3 Setzer - 4 Mog - 3 Gau - 4 -------------- MP - PS Version In this version, the MP formula has been recalculated. You will gain more MP overall than you did in the SNES version, but the best MP gains will happen at earlier levels. The highest MP gains happen at around level 16, but because you gain so much, you will not need to use the highest MP gain to get max MP for everyone. In fact, half the characters will never need to equip Crusader at all, as they will max MP naturally. These characters will need to equip Crusader once before they reach level 26 to max MP: Locke Cyan Shadow Edgar Sabin Setzer =================================== 3.2 - General stat information =================================== Ok, so now that you have HP and MP out of the way, you have four other stats to choose from. Which ones are worth boosting, and for which characters? I will go over individual characters in the next section, but first I will go over all four stats which can be raised by Espers and which ones I think are useful and which I think are pointless. Vigor: Vigor is calculated into the damage formula for physical attacks. However, Vigor in general doesn't affect physical attacks as much as MagPwr affects magic attacks, so it's recommended to only use Vigor on characters whose special attacks don't have magic properties, like Locke. Another note is that raising Vigor beyond 128 via equipment bonuses has no effect, so it's generally not recommended to raise your Vigor all the way to 128 by stat boosting. 110-120 should be enough for any character. Speed: The most you can raise Speed per level is +1, so I consider it a waste of a level, unless +1 speed is the most effective stat to raise for that character at that time. This can be when a fighter character has 110-120 Vigor or when a caster character has reached 128 MagPwr. Stamina: The most useless stat. It is supposed to affect defensive properties, but the only thing it really does is make Regen and the Tintinabar relic heal more. Stamina sucks, don't waste a level raising it. MagPwr: For characters whose special attacks include magic attacks, this is important. I will go over this more in the individual characters section, but basically this will be the most important stat for most of your characters. Also, MagPwr affects magic attacks even when it's higher than 128 via equipment bonuses, so it's smart to level this all the way to 128. =================================== 3.3 - Individual Character Strategies =================================== I am considering the maximum for Vigor as 110. You can technically get to 128 Vigor, but since having over 110 Vigor generally allows you to do 9999 damage with anyone's ultimate weapon, and because having over 128 Vigor via equipment bonuses has no effect, I consider it a bad idea to level Vigor beyond 110. Note: Some characters start with an odd number of stats, their strategies will go to 127 instead of 128 MagPwr, and 111 instead of 110 Vigor. Not many characters can max Speed, and since it goes up by 1 every level, it's not recommended to put that many levels in Speed as opposed to MagPwr or Vigor. Stamina just plain sucks, and was not included in any strategies. Gogo and Umaro have no strategies, since they can't equip espers. Their former glory will be outshined when you are done maxing out your stats on everyone else, and you most likely will never use Gogo or Umaro again, save for in a LLG. TERRA ----- Base Stats: Vigor: 31 Speed: 33 Stamina: 28 MagPwr: 39 Most possible levels for stat increasing: With HP/MP maxing - Version PS - 90 levels SNES- 87 levels Without HP/MP maxing - 93 levels Leveling strategies: Terra is both an efficient fighter and mage. Her Morph ability doubles both her attack power and her magic power, and it costs nothing to use. The only problem is it seems if you use it in one battle, you won't be able to use it again for a few more battles. Either way, I love using Morph for boss battles. I generally consider Terra a caster first, then a fighter. I don't like using speed on my casters, since I'm taking the time to use a magical attack anyway. My pick: 1- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Vigor Alternate strategies: 2- Level Vigor to 111, then level Speed 3- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Speed 4- Level Vigor to 111, then level MagPwr 5. Level Vigor to 111, then split between MagPwr and Speed 6. Level MagPwr to 127, then split between Vigor and Speed 7. Level Vigor, MagPwr and Speed evenly LOCKE ----- Base Stats: Vigor: 37 Speed: 40 Stamina: 31 MagPwr: 28 Most possible levels for stat increasing: With HP/MP maxing - Version PS - 90 levels SNES- 87 levels Without HP/MP maxing - 94 levels Leveling strategies: Locke is definitely a fighter, and shows it with his ValiantKnife, AtmaWeapon, Illumina and other fine choices of ultimate weapons. The only thing magical about Locke is the ability to equip Espers and learn magic, and use items in battle that have magical properties such as rods. I would generally raise Vigor and Speed with Locke. My pick: 1- Level Vigor to 111, then level Speed Alternate strategies: 2- Level Vigor to 111, then level MagPwr 3- Level Vigor to 111, then split between MagPwr and Speed 4- Level MagPwr to 128, then level Vigor 5- Level MagPwr to 128, then level Speed EDGAR ----- Base Stats: Vigor: 39 Speed: 30 Stamina: 34 MagPwr: 29 Most possible levels for stat increasing: With HP/MP maxing - Version PS - 89 levels SNES- 86 levels Without HP/MP maxing - 93 levels Leveling strategies: Edgar can be both a fighter and a caster, I like to give him MagPwr and Speed though, so he can take out anything with the Flash tool and be fast at the same time. Alternately you can level Vigor and Speed and take out anything with AutoCrossbow instead. My pick: 1- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Speed Alternate strategies: 2- Level Vigor to 111, then level Speed 3- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Vigor 4- Level Vigor to 111, then level MagPwr SABIN ----- Base Stats: Vigor: 47 Speed: 37 Stamina: 39 MagPwr: 28 Most possible levels for stat increasing: With HP/MP maxing - Version PS - 89 levels SNES- 85 levels Without HP/MP maxing - 93 levels Leveling strategies: Sabin may look like a fighter, but he can Blitz out some strong magic-induced moves if you boost his MagPwr. I prefer MagPwr over Vigor because some of his easier Blitzes (Fire Dance, AuraBolt) rely on MagPwr for damage, and can attack all as opposed to just one enemy. Not saying it's bad to make Sabin a fighter either, Sabin is just a good character overall, so you have to make a choice between two types of good characters. Also, Sabin can reach both 111 Vigor and 128 MagPwr. My pick: 1- Level MagPwr to 128, then level Speed Alternate strategies: 2- Level Vigor to 111, then level MagPwr to 128, then level Speed 3- Level MagPwr to 128, then split between Vigor and Speed 4- Level Vigor to 111, then split between MagPwr and Speed. CELES ----- Base Stats: Vigor: 34 Speed: 34 Stamina: 31 MagPwr: 36 Most possible levels for stat increasing: (Note: Celes can equip a +1 esper from level 5 to 6, so I consider it half a level worth of stat boosting. I usually give her a +1 MagPwr esper, so her max MagPwr will now be 127 instead of 128, but she will get 2 more Vigor or 1 more speed than normal.) With HP/MP maxing - Version PS - 90 1/2 levels SNES- 87 1/2 levels Without HP/MP maxing - 93 1/2 levels Leveling strategies: Celes is a good caster, but can be a good fighter as well. She can absorb MP with Runic, but normally not very much. I usually make her a caster though, because it just seems right. My pick: 1- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Vigor. Alternate strategies: 2- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Speed. 3- Level Vigor to 111, then level MagPwr 4- Level Vigor to 111, then level Speed 5. Level MagPwr to 127, then split between Speed and Vigor SHADOW ----- Base Stats: Vigor: 39 Speed: 38 Stamina: 30 MagPwr: 33 Most possible levels for stat increasing: With HP/MP maxing - Version PS - 89 1/2 levels SNES- 86 1/2 levels Without HP/MP maxing - 93 1/2 levels Leveling strategies: Shadow has many options available. His skeans and edges have magical properties, but those alone can prove to be his most useful items. Shadow is another versatile character, and any good fighter or caster method works well for him. My pick: 1- Level MagPwr to 127, then Speed Alternate strategies: 2- Level Vigor to 111, then Speed 3- Level MagPwr to 127, then Vigor 4- Level Vigor to 111, then MagPwr 5- Level MagPwr to 127, then split between Vigor and Speed 6- Level Vigor to 111, then split between MagPwr and Speed 7- Level Vigor, MagPwr and Speed evenly CYAN ----- Base Stats: Vigor: 40 Speed: 28 Stamina: 33 MagPwr: 25 Most possible levels for stat increasing: With HP/MP maxing - Version PS - 88 levels SNES- 84 levels Without HP/MP maxing - 92 levels Leveling strategies: I usually make Cyan a caster with good speed. If you wish to take advantage of his SwordTechs, you won't need speed, since the SwordTech bar goes up the same speed regardless of Cyan's speed. I think the best way to use Cyan is to give him the Tempest sword and raise his MagPwr and Speed. Cyan + 127 MagPwr + Tempest = Wind God Cyan. Good stuff. My pick: 1- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Speed. Alternate strategies: 2- Level Vigor to 110, then level MagPwr 3- Level Vigor to 110, then level Speed 4- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Vigor GAU ----- Base Stats: Vigor: 44 Speed: 38 Stamina: 36 MagPwr: 34 Most possible levels for stat increasing: With HP/MP maxing - Version PS - 89 levels SNES- 85 levels Without HP/MP maxing - 92 levels Leveling strategies: Gau rocks. He has the largest selection of abilities in the game, and makes an excellent anything. Since his base stats are so high, and the rage command works like a berserk command, you will get nice high stats and won't even need to boost speed. Gau is the only character who I would level above 110 Vigor. I believe most of Gau's good rages are magic attacks, so leveling MagPwr on Gau is a must. My pick: 1- Level MagPwr to 128, then Vigor to 120, then Speed Alternate strategies: 2- Level MagPwr to 128, then Vigor to 110, then Speed 3- Level MagPwr to 128, then Vigor to 128 4- Level MagPwr to 128, then Speed. SETZER ----- Base Stats: Vigor: 36 Speed: 32 Stamina: 32 MagPwr: 29 Most possible levels for stat increasing: With HP/MP maxing - Version PS - 89 levels SNES- 86 levels Without HP/MP maxing - 93 levels Leveling strategies: There are countless Setzer strategies out there. I like to give my Setzer lots of MagPwr, but with Fixed Dice he can become a neat fighter. I generally don't give Setzer any speed, since his slots take time anyway. My pick: 1- Level MagPwr to 127, then Vigor Alternate strategies: 2- Level Vigor to 110, then MagPwr 3- Level Vigor to 110, then Speed 4- Level Vigor to 110, then split between MagPwr and Speed STRAGO ----- Base Stats: Vigor: 28 Speed: 25 Stamina: 19 MagPwr: 34 Most possible levels for stat increasing: With HP/MP maxing - Version PS - 88 levels SNES- 84 levels Without HP/MP maxing - 91 levels Leveling strategies: If Stamina was more important I'd say Strago had abysmal starting stats. Fortunately, Strago's best stats are the ones that matter most. Strago makes a great mage. My pick: 1- Level MagPwr to 128, then Speed Alternate strategies: 2- Level MagPwr to 128, then split between Vigor and Speed RELM ----- Base Stats: Vigor: 26 Speed: 34 Stamina: 22 MagPwr: 44 Most possible levels for stat increasing: With HP/MP maxing - Version PS - 90 levels SNES- 87 levels Without HP/MP maxing - 93 levels Leveling strategies: Relm has one of the best stat potentials in the game. Unfortunately, her special sucks. I only use Control for gathering Lores for Strago. Better make Relm your best mage, she can get amazing MagPwr boosts from her equipment. My pick: 1- Level MagPwr to 128, then Speed Alternate strategies: 2- Level MagPwr to 128, then split between Vigor and Speed MOG ----- Base Stats: Vigor: 29 Speed: 36 Stamina: 26 MagPwr: 35 Most possible levels for stat increasing: With HP/MP maxing - Version PS - 85 levels SNES- 82 levels Without HP/MP maxing - 88 levels Leveling strategies: Mog has the lowest possible levels available to him for stat increases. You won't see a difference in his performance though, Mog is still just as good as anyone else. I usually make Mog a caster. My pick: 1- Level MagPwr to 127, then Speed Alternate strategies: 2- Level MagPwr to 127, then Vigor 3- Level Vigor to 111, then Speed 4- Level Vigor to 111, then MagPwr 5- Level Vigor, MagPwr and Speed equally ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================================================== SECTION 4 - EXTRAS ====================================================================== ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ =================================== 4.1 - Psycho Cyan glitch =================================== Some of you may be wondering what this glitch is, and why it is so great. The Psycho Cyan glitch involves Cyan's SwordTech "Retort" and a bug involving Imp status and Wounded status. When Cyan uses Retort, and then is killed and revived, he will then retort the next attack targeted at one of his party members. If he is then set to Imp status, he will retort to the next attack regardless of who is targeted and who uses it. This will result in Cyan retorting his own attack until the enemy dies. When can this glitch be useful? I think you should use it to kill Number 128 in the Mining Cart at Vector, especially if you are trying for perfect stats. It will be hard enough to have the right guys alive in the battles with the Mag Roaders beforehand, I think it's fair you should be able to use the bug to kill the boss too, because no one likes to reset over and over again. =================================== 4.2 - Vanish/Doom and other tricks =================================== This section is for other information which will help the average gamer understand the game better. --Vanish/Doom trick-- Most people know about this already, there is a spell called Vanish which will allow that character to be targeted by any spell, including instant death spells. If you cast Vanish on almost any boss, you can then cast Doom on them and they will be defeated. This includes the final boss. --Evade Bug-- There's a bug which makes Evade% worthless, and also makes blindness status do nothing. If you're blind, enjoy the cool sunglasses and don't bother to remove them, cause it doesn't make a difference. Also note that M. Evade% counts for Evade as well, so put on any M. Evade% equipment you can get your hands on. Having 128% M. Evade% makes you invincible to anything except unblockable spells like Ultima. --Rippler Bug-- You know the spell and Lore "Rippler"? The one that switches statuses with the enemy party... well, this skill switches things it shouldn't, like Shadow's dog block. If Shadow gets hit with Rippler, you will never see Interceptor again in your game in a battle, so do your best to avoid this. --Slot Techniques-- Normally, Slots will rarely give you what you want, but you can control it by using an Echo Screen then hitting the third slot during the Echo Screen animation. You will have to learn the timing though so you can pull it off quickly. =================================== SPECIAL THANKS =================================== Here's a list of people I'd like to thank for various things. For making the game: Squaresoft and all their developers For making walkthroughs, FAQ's, and other guides for the game, which I used to get me through this challenge myself: Djibriel Master ZED Atom Edge mog255 rjpageuk/Crinkles Novalia_Spirit Terii Senshi Final Fantasy VI (c)1994 Squaresoft Perfect Stats Guide (c)2006 Leviathan Mist