7777777777 7777777777 77777 77777 77777 77777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 77 777 77 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 77 777 77 777 777 777 777 7777777 7777777 777 777 777 777 777 77 777 77 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 777 77777 777 777 77777 77777 777 77777 77777 ================================================================== F I N A L F A N T A S Y V I I F A Q v 1 . 6 ================================================================== FINAL FANTASY VII FAQ v1.6 (PART ONE) for the Sony PlayStation (English version) by Kao Megura Unpublished work Copyright 1997-1998 Kao Megura This FAQ is for private and personal use only. It can only be reproduced electronically, and if placed on a web page or site, may be altered as long as this disclaimer and the above copyright notice appears in full. This FAQ is not to be used for profitable/promotional purposes; this includes being used by publishers of magazines, guides, books, etc. or being incorporated into magazines, etc. in ANY way. This FAQ was created and is owned by me, Kao Megura . All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged that are not specifically mentioned in this FAQ. Please give credit where it is due. The Final Fantasy series is (c) Square Soft and (c) Sony Entertainment of America. This FAQ, and future revisions of it, can be found at: -------------------------------------------------------------------- Kao Megura's Home Page www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/4610/ (or) i.am/kao/ ------------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS - FF7 FAQ PART ONE ------------------------------------ 1. REVISION HISTORY 2. INTRODUCTION 3. DISC ONE WALKTHROUGH 3.1 makoro power plant 3.2 midgar city 3.3 avalanche base 3.4 mako reactor number 5 3.5 sector 5 slums 3.6 wall market 3.7 the sewers / train yard revisited 3.8 into the sky 3.9 shinra headquarters building 3.10 escape! 3.11 kalm town / chocobo farm 3.12 mythril mine / junon town 3.13 shinra cargo ship 3.14 costa del sol / new continent 3.15 gold saucer 3.16 gongaga town / cosmo canyon 3.17 return of sephiroth 3.18 the inventor 3.19 betrayal 3.20 the temple of the ancients 3.21 bone village / sleeping forest 3.22 forgotten capital / forgotten city 4. DISC TWO WALKTHROUGH 4.1 the cave 4.2 icicle inn 4.3 lost in the snow 4.4 the crater / whirlwind maze 4.5 junon town attacked! 4.6 where's cloud? / north corel express 4.7 fort condor 4.8 inside cloud's head 4.9 100 leagues under the sea 4.10 underwater adventure 4.11 cid's rocket 4.12 forgotten capital revisited / midgar city under siege 5. DISC THREE WALKTHROUGH 5.1 northern crater 6. BONUS AREAS / THE WEAPONS 6.1 ancient forest 6.2 vincent's waterfall 6.3 bonus materia locations 6.4 yuffie's sub-quest ------------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS - FF7 FAQ PART TWO ------------------------------------ 7. APPENDIX 7.1 materia list 7.2 items and equipment 7.3 shopping list 7.4 monster list 7.5 game shark code list 7.6 having fun 8. ANSWERS TO THE MOST-ASKED QUESTIONS 9. SPECIAL THANKS ========================================================================= 1. REVISION HISTORY ========================================================================= VERSION 1.6 (August 1, 1998) - More corrections. Some sections have been re-added, too. VERSION 1.5 (June 24, 1998) / VERSION 1.4 (June 8, 1998) VERSION 1.3 (January 1, 1998) / VERSION 1.2 (December 14, 1997) VERSION 1.1 (November 16, 1997) / VERSION 1.0 (October 28, 1997) VERSION 0.3 (October 6, 1997) / VERSION 0.2 (September 14, 1997) VERSION 0.1 (September 7, 1997) / VERSION 0.0 (August 18th, 1997) ========================================================================= 2. INTRODUCTION ========================================================================= This FAQ is split into two parts; the one you're reading is the main walkthrough, while the second part contains mostly lists of items, monsters, etc. You can get the _latest_ version of this FAQ at my page (refer to the top of the FAQ), so please get it as practically no one does these days :( This guide is for the American version of Final Fantasy VII. While I encourage you to use it if you need help on the Japanese version of FF7, Final Fantasy VII International, or the PC version of FF7, expect there to be some minor differences in what's written here and what occurs in the game. Don't mail me about the PC version of FF7, please! I have no way of playing it, so if I'm unable to confirm any info., it's pointless to tell me about it. If you're reading a version of this FAQ that has been translated, HTML'ized, or whatever, please send all inquiries to those people who did the changes and not me, as they may have an older version or have added their own corrections and I won't be able to help you. The ones of particular note are: HTML versions of this FAQ - ----------------------------------------------------------------------- www.mallison.com/ffvii/ www.thenet.co.uk/~dexco/~ff7/index.html Translated versions of this FAQ - ----------------------------------------------------------------------- home4.swipnet.se/~w-45246/ffvii/ff7main.htm (Swedish) myweb.worldnet.fr/~rotereau (French) www.sienanet.it/singsing/welcom.html (Italian; not up yet) www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arena/9766 (German) I recall that some other people were translating this FAQ into Spanish, Portugese, and other languages. If they could mail me the URLs of their translated FAQs, I'll add them here. I _WILL NOT_ answer any gameplay related questions about this game. It's not because I'm a prick (haha, I know), but because you wouldn't believe the types of questions I get. 95% of them can be answered by reading the FAQ. Yes, I know it's large, but that's because there's so much information in here, so just sit down and start reading instead of giving up and mailing me. If you want to put this FAQ on your page, or want to alter it, you need not mail me, as long as you keep the copyright and disclaimer intact. If there is some sort of legal thing going on with this FAQ, then I would like to hear from you (especially if you've spotted this FAQ being plagarized in any sort of publication, sadly, it has happened). You can reach me at: . ========================================================================= 3. DISC ONE WALKTHROUGH ========================================================================= ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.1 makoro power plant ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Potion x3, Phoenix Down, Restore materia, Assault Gun. At the start of the game, you'll have 3 Potions, a Phoenix Down, and an Ether. You can't equip Materia until after you reach the 7th Heaven bar, by the way. Once you leave the train, check the body of the closest guard twice to get two Potions. Then head north. You'll be attacked by some guards. Take them out with your sword (you may win a Potion for killing them) and then move left to go outside. Now, talk to your teammates (Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie), then name yourself and Barret. Make your way to the northwestern door, and head up in the next room to enter the heart of the power plant. Talk to Barret, (who joins you) and then talk to each Avalanche member to open the doors. After opening the second door, head right to enter another chamber with a treasure chest (Phoenix Down). Then, go back and enter the elevator (you'll have to talk to Jessie first). Press the arrow switch to activate it. Work your way down the stairs and go through the door to the left. Then follow Jessie down the ladder. When she stops, search the area in front of her for a Potion (it's hard to see because of the steam). Climb down, cross the pipes, descend the nearby ladder, and take note of the Save Point before heading down the walkway. Pick up the Restore materia on the ground in the next area and set the bomb. An alarm will sound and you'll have to fight the boss, a huge scorpion-like machine. _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: GUARD SCORPION LV: ?? HP: 800 MP: 0 Cloud's Bolt magic works well, while Barret should be attacking. The Search Scope won't damage you, it just warns as to who the boss will attack next. When you've done enough damage, the boss will start to shake and Cloud will warn Barret. From this point onward, don't attack the boss and heal yourself or simply guard until the boss attacks you. If you try to hurt it during this time, the boss responds with a damaging laser ray shot from his tail. A few more hits after it stops shaking and the boss dies. You'll get an Assault Gun when you kill it. _________________________________________________________________________ You now have ten minutes to escape from the power plant. You'll need to make your way back to the upside-down T-shaped entrance hall where one of the Avalanche members is waiting. (If you've played the demo disc, know that you don't need to 'search' for the other members; just talk to Jessie to free her and then get out. Since Barret gets a new gun after the battle, be sure to equip it. Also, talk to the other members to open the two doors on your way back. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2 midgar city ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Potion. After the Avalanche members blow up the passage, head up the stairs. You'll meet Aeris here, but she won't join you yet. In the next screen, there's a Potion to the southwest of the circular structure (near the lampposts). Walk south when you're done. In this next area, you'll meet up with guards and have the choice of running (bottom choice) or fighting (top choice). After a few more encounters with the Shinra guards, Cloud'll jump onto the passing train and run into the Avalanche gang. After talking to them, walk to the 'front' of the screen and you'll jump off into another area. Talk to the people here and one of the members (Jessie) will show you a picture of the Makoro plant on the train's screen. Approach Barret and you'll end up going to the group's base. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3 avalanche base ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: 1500 gil, All materia, Ether. Head west and go upwards. Talk to the kid by the fence, then head west again (there's a Save Point nearby, too). Talk to the people here, then check out the bar. At the top of the tallest building in the south- east is a bedroom. The kid here will let you spend the night for 10 gil. In the bar, you'll meet Tifa, who is also a member of Avalanche, as well as Marlene, who is supposedly Barret's daughter. After naming Tifa, Barret shows up when you try to leave and reveals the hidden base underneath the bar. After talking to Barret, Tifa shows up. Leave the base and you'll have a short intermission with Tifa. When you meet Barret afterwards, he'll give you 1500 gil. If you go to the Beginner's Hall above the Weapon Shop outside, you can learn more about playing the game. You'll also find that there inside the huge cage. The man in the right corner of this room has a Materia by his feet (All). Take it and a chest will drop down that has an Ether inside of it. If you haven't already noticed, the two buildings that were locked the other day are now open. When you're ready, go back to the train station to prepare for Avalanche's next mission. If you like, you can go to the far right to enter a train yard, but there's not much of interest there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4 mako reactor number five ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Hi-Potion, Ether x2, Potion, Tent, Titan Bangle. Board the train. When the timer appears after you talk to Tifa, talk to the homeless man in the back of the screen to get a Phoenix Down. In the second car, talk to the man closest to the 'front' of the screen and pick the top option to get a Hi-Potion. In the third car, a man will walk past you, snicker, and steal from you; follow him and talk to him again to get back the gil he just swiped. Keep going through each train car until Tifa jumps off one of the cars and you and Barret follow her. If this occurs on the last car, talk to the man at the very end to get a Hi-Potion. After jumping off, you'll end up in an underground railroad passageway. If you go south (towards the 'front' of the screen), you'll go through the same screen 5 times before coming to two guards who you can fight. When the battle's over, choose the bottom option to keep fighting or the top option to run away. You can fight the same battle over and over, so when you get tired of fighting, just pick the top option. An OK place to gain some experience, gil, and AP, if you think you'll need it. Anyway, it's a lot faster to just head north to where the green barrier is and go down the hatch to the west (examine it and choose the top choice twice or the middle option once). Pick up the Ether in the adjoining passage, climb down the two ladders, and talk to Wedge. Then go up the ladder near him to reach a room where Jessie is waiting for you. Take the Potion that's next to her and climb down the ladder on the far left end of the room to reach a chamber where you can find a Tent, a Save Point, and Biggs. Go up the ladder here to reach the No. 5 Reactor. The room you're in should be familiar. Slide down the pipe and then work your way back to the heart of the plant. After Cloud fiddles with the machinery, go back to the large room and climb up the stairs and into the elevator. It'll take you to a new floor. Grab the contents of the treasure chest outside (Ether) and then head to the left where there are three control panels. You'll need to hit your panel as the same time Barret and Tifa hit theirs (using the O button), so give it a shot. Instead of waiting for them to raise their arms, you'll have an easier time if you time it so that you hit your panel _just_ before they do. You can't use the panel if you didn't go back to the heart of the power plant. Afterwards, go through the opened gate (there's a Save Point here), and head north. In the T-shaped room, you'll be stopped by a group of guards, and then meet President Shinra. After that, a helicopter and a hydrofoil-like machine show up. The Shinra president leaves in the helicopter, but the huge machine attacks you and your friends. _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: AIR BUSTER LV: 15 HP: 1200 MP: 0 weak against Lightning This machine turns to face (and attack) whomever hits it. So, if one of your characters is low on life, have the person on the opposite side attack to draw the boss' attention away. Be especially careful of it's Big Bomber--it causes tons of damage (but also increases your Limit meter quickly). Remember that even if it's back is turned, it can use a weak machine gun attack on you. Use potions and the Restore Materia to keep up your HPs and use Bolt as well as your Limit Break attacks to take this machine out. You'll receive a Titan Bangle if you win the battle. _________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.5 sector 5 slums ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: 5 gil or Turbo Ether, Potion, Phoenix Down, Cover materia, Ether. After the battle, the boss will explode, sending Cloud off the walkway in the ensuing blast. When you awake, you'll find yourself in a church. Aeris is here, and you can name her after talking to her several times. Reno shows up afterwards with some guards. In the next room, Aeris falls down while trying to escape with Cloud. Tell her to hold on. You now have the option of fighting the guards using Aeris or trying to bean the guards on the head with barrels on the upper floor (if you miss, you'll have to fight using Aeris anyway). Remember, she starts off in the back row, so to increase damage, make her move up by choosing 'Change' at the start of each battle (do this by pressing left, then the O button). The correct order of barrels to drop is: the leftmost barrel (in the back), the far right barrel (in the back), and the far right barrel (in the front). Simply tell Aeris to hold on each time, examine each barrel, and choose the top option to drop it. This way, Aeris won't have to fight anybody. When Aeris meets you at the top of the chapel, she'll hook up with Cloud. In the upper area, climb up the second beam on the left and jump out of the hole in the roof. After you and Aeris make it back to ground level, head left to find a Save Point. To the northwest is a town. Be sure to meet the man in the pipe near the entrance. In one of the houses, you can also find 5 gil if you talk to the drunk man in bed, then examine the drawers nearby, however, if you don't take the gil, he'll give you a Turbo Ether when you return here after Sector 7 is destroyed. There are several stores here in the slums, including one that sells Materia. To the far, far right is a path that leads to Aeris's house and a garden. You can spend the night here once you've met Elmyra, Aeris' mother. When you wake up, look between the desk and the bed for a Potion and a Phoenix Down. Then, sneak downstairs (or Aeris will make you go back to bed) and leave the house (you can do this by not touching the walls and not running, either). In the lower flower bed to the right, you can get a Cover materia and an Ether. There's another Save Point near Aeris' house if you need to use it. Leave the town and go left to the hole in the wall. Aeris will be here waiting for you and will rejoin you. In the next location, work your way upward (by going across the hole-filled metal length, then down the iron beams and through the passage, then up the brown pipe and finally down the stairs and heading to the left). After Aeris leaves you at the playground, head east, then go north to arrive at the Wall Market. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.6 wall market ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Ether, Phoenix Down, Hyper. Aeris rejoins you (again) here. There's a Save Point in the upper-right part of the village. The building in the lower left is an inn, where you can spend the night for 10 gil. To the right of it is the entrance to a brothel. The building in the middle has nothing in it but a computer. (If you touch it, a machine gun will fire at you and Cloud jumps away. You can't do anything here until later). Just above that building is an item shop. North of the shop is a sushi bar. Finally, there is a clothing store to the upper left and some sort of pottery store to the upper right. A path by the clothing store leads to another part of town. Here, there is a gym, a restaurant, and a weapon shop. In the northern area lies a large building. If you go east from here, you'll reach a dead-end area. Your objective in this part of the game is to sneak into the large building where Tifa is being kept. To do this, Cloud will have to dress up as a woman in order to get inside since men aren't allowed into the building. So, follow these steps to get the items you need to 'alter' Cloud's appearance. You may want to read this entire section before starting so that you'll know how your choices will affect the game. a) Go to the brothel and talk to the big guy with silver hair who's chatting with the bouncer at the door. Talk to him and pick the first option to inquire about Tifa. b) Go back to the building at the end of town (Corneo's mansion) and talk to the guy near the door. Aeris and Cloud will move away and have a short conversation. She tells Cloud that he'll have to dress up if he wants to find out if Tifa's okay. c) Return to the first screen, go to the clothing store, and talk to the store owner by standing near the bottom edge of the counter. She'll tell you that you can't get a dress unless you do something about her drunk father. d) Go to the bar in the second screen and talk to the lone man by the door. During the conversation, you'll have to make two decisions. So when you're asked a question, pick either the first or second choice. After you're done talking to the man, return to the clothing store. e) At the store, you'll see that the man from the inn is now behind the counter. Talk to him and you'll receive an item based upon your decisions: - If you answered: first choice, first or second choice, you'll get the Cotton Dress. - If you answered: second choice, first choice, you'll be given the Satin Dress. - If you answered: second choice, second choice again, he'll give you the Silk Dress. f) Cloud will try on the dress, but won't actually wear it. Leave the clothing store and go to the second screen. Enter the gym and converse with the woman (heh) by the fighting ring. When you have the chance, pick the bottom option twice to start fighting, although if you want to practice, you can choose the bottom option, then the top one. Anyway, as soon as the message box disappears, start pressing the S, X, and O buttons repeatedly in that order. The object of the game is to go fast enough to make Cloud do more squats than the African gymnast, but you don't want to press the buttons too fast or Cloud can't keep up. It's not too hard to win since the other guy will often stop to scratch his head, but you only have 30 seconds, so get in as many squats as you can. - If you are able to do more squats than the gymnast, you'll be given the Blonde Wig. - If you and the gymnast have the same score, the lady will give you the Dyed Wig. - If the gymnast does better than you, then the lady will give you the Wig. At this point, you can just return to the clothing shop and enter the stall; Cloud will dress up as a woman and you can return to Corneo's mansion to get inside. You can also choose to not change yet and explore more of the Wall Market, picking up items that you can use to make Cloud more 'feminine'. If you're finished, then skip down a ways to find out what to do next. Otherwise, keep reading (these events can be done in any order): g) Go to the pottery shop. When you have to choose an answer, pick the top one twice. (You can't talk to him unless you chatted with the guard at the north building). Then go to the inn and pay 10 gil to spend the night. In the middle of the night, you'll find yourself in front of the vending machine in the outer hallway. Pick any option (I hope you have enough gil). The next morning, return to the pottery shop and talk to the man to get an item: - If you bought the first item (200 gil), he'll give you the Diamond Tiara. - If you bought the second item (100 gil), he'll give you the Ruby Tiara. - If you bought the third item (50 gil), he'll give you the Glass Tiara. (Note that the dialogue here was changed from the Japanese version, in which you were buying a 'gift' for the shopkeeper's girlfriend that he was too embarrassed to buy Why this was changed, I have no idea.) h) Enter the sushi bar and walk past the empty seat. When a message appears, choose the top option. Then choose any option, (you'll need 70 gil), followed by the middle choice ("the food was all right") to get a Pharmacy Coupon. Now go to the item store and talk to the man behind the counter. Choose one of the three options to get an item, then head back to the restaurant. Go to the bathroom and talk to the woman inside. Accept the first choice and: - You'll get the Cologne if you traded the Coupon for the Disinfectant. - You'll get the Flower Cologne if you traded the Coupon for the Deodorant. - You'll get the Sexy Cologne if you traded the Coupon for the Digestive (medicine). i) Talk to the large man in the white shirt who's standing near the edge of the screen in the first area to get the Member's Card. He won't give it to you unless you talked to the guard by the door of the Corneo's mansion. Head right to arrive at the brothel. If you talk to the bouncer, he'll let you in once he sees the Card, but Aeris won't come with you (yes, they messed up the dialogue here, too). Inside the Honeybee Inn, you'll find that the doors on the right side are locked, but if you chose the bottom option, you can look inside them and peer around using the control pad and the O button. If you look in the upper-right keyhole, you'll see a familiar face...a small version of Cait Sith! If you go to the north room and talk to the farthest girl on the right several times, you can choose the top option to make her dance faster and faster. When you're ready (you better brace yourself), you can do one or the other: Examine the lower-left door and pick the top option twice. In the room, talk to the girl and pick the top option three times to take a soak with Mukki and his friends. Answer however you like while in the tub and Cloud will be given the Bikini briefs. Or, examine the upper-left door and pick the top option twice. Inside, talk to the ghostly Cloud near the stone tub and Cloud will have a psychotic episode. When you come to, all your HP and MP is restored, thanks to...Mukki :( Talk to him and choose the bottom option. Then talk to the girl and you'll get the Lingerie. After getting either item, you can return to the room where all the girls are and one will put makeup on you. All done? There's nothing left to do now but return to the clothing store and dress up as a woman. When you finish, go to the large building in the north and talk to the man by the food carts again. He'll let you into a posh-looking parlor. Now, go up the stairs and into the door on the far left after talking to the receptionist. Then, go down the staircase to the torture room (!) where you'll find Tifa and an Ether by the smoldering coals. Once she's joined you, head back up the stairs and go into the middle door. Inside is Tifa's kidnapper, the nefarious Don Corneo. He will examine each of you when you try to approach him. Who he picks for his 'friend' is determined by what items you collected in the Wall Market: - He'll pick Cloud if you're wearing the Silk Dress, Blonde Wig, and have the 'best' extra items (the Diamond Tiara, Sexy Cologne, and Lingerie or Bikini briefs. - He'll pick Aeris if you're wearing the Silk Dress, the Blonde Wig, the Lingerie and the Sexy Cologne (in addition to anything else you may have). - He'll pick Tifa if you're wearing the Silk Dress, Blonde Wig, and one or two of the extra items not mentioned above (or anything worse than that). If Corneo picked Tifa or Aeris, then read below: In the next room, examine the item bag by the bed to get a Phoenix Down, and talk to the man by the television set after talking to the other henchmen. After revealing your true nature to the love-struck goons, they'll fight you. This is followed by another fight with the other three punks. Afterward, get Aeris from the torture chamber and then go into the middle door again (if Aeris was picked, then you'll meet Tifa when you go outside). When you're through intimidating Corneo, look behind his bed for a Hyper, then stand by your allies. He'll make you choose one of three options. No matter which one you choose, you'll fall through a trapdoor. If Corneo picked Cloud, then you'll end up in his room. Search behind his bed for a Hyper, then talk to him and answer anyway you like (if you try to make Cloud kiss Corneo, then maybe you need to get out of the house more....^_^;) Your friends will burst in and threaten him (yeowch!) and Corneo will ask you a question; pick any answer you like and you'll still plummet to the sewers below. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.7 the sewers / train yard revisited ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Potion x4, Phoenix Down, Steal materia, Hi-Potion x3, Echo Screen, Ether x2. Once the cut scene with the Shinra flunkies ends, you'll find yourself in a sewer. Before talking to Tifa or Aeris, climb up the stairs to the south and go along the walkway to nab a Potion. When you try to escape, a blue monster appears attacks your party. _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: APS LV: 18 HP: 1800 MP: 0 weak against Fire His Sewer Tsunami attack hurts all members, so use Potions and the Restore Materia to heal your wounds. Luckily, the Tsunami will damage him, too (he uses this attack as a counterattack before dying if he can manage it). When he does the reverse Sewer Tsunami, it causes less damage to him. Fire spells work the best on him. Use Cloud's Limit Break to harm the boss and use Aeris' Limit Break to heal yourselves. You'll receive a Phoenix Down for winning the battle. _________________________________________________________________________ Climb up the ladder and head right. Go down into the sewage, then up the stairs. Grab the Yellow Materia (Steal) and go down the hatch. In the next room, go down the stairs, then climb up the side of the curved structure. Climb up the ladder and you'll go outside. There's a Save Point here. Check out the oil drum nearby by entering the train car (near the Save Point) to get a Hi-Potion. Get another Hi-Potion on the roof of adjacent car, then hop off onto the iron beam and check the oil drum to the north for an Echo Screen. Walk east, then south and enter the nearby train car to get a Potion. Climb up the ladder, head north, and climb down again. Go north once more through the train car, then exit to your left to find a second Potion. Then, go north to arrive at the next screen. Here, circle left around the car to get a Potion. Circle left again to find an oil can with an Ether inside of it. Go north and enter the train to the right to move the other train car out of the way. Climb atop the formerly blocked car to net a Hi-Potion. Now, ride the other train back backwards, climb onto the eastern train car, jump onto the train you just moved, and climb across it and the last car before going down the ladder to get back to the front part of the Train Graveyard. Head left. The Avalanche members will be fighting atop the support pillar you first saw when you arrived at the base. After Wedge plummets to the ground, save your game at the Save Point and talk to the man on the left if you need to buy items. Climb up the stairs and you'll meet Barret, who is firing at the Shinra helicopter you saw back at the plant. Reno will jump out, and you'll have to fight him. Good thing Barret joins you. When you inflict enough damage, the boss runs away! _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: RENO LV: 17 HP: 1000 MP: 0 This guy packs a wallop. He can imprison your friends using his golden Pyramid attack, and if he does this to all your members, you lose. To break the pyramids, attack your allies (they won't be damaged). Watch for his spark bolt attack (which can paralyze you) and use your Limit Breaks whenever possible. Ice works well on him. For some players, this may be the first battle they lose! You'll get an Ether for scaring him off should you win. _________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.8 into the sky ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Sense materia, Battery x3, Ether. After fending off the boss, Tseng will kidnap Aeris (and p**p slap her)! As he escapes, the entire city explodes and falls down a level, destroying it. Cloud, Tifa, and Barret all come to in the playground at the Sector 6 Slums. After Barret yells for Marlene, Wedge, and his other friends, he and Tifa join you in the next area when you try to leave. Go back to get a sparkling yellow Materia (Sense), before returning to Wall Market. The man in the pottery store will now sell you Materia, and if you go back to the parlor, you have the option of freeing one of Don Corneo's men from the torture chamber. Even if you got the Member's Card the first time around, you can no longer enter the brothel, by the way. When you're done, leave and go south from the playground. Return to the Sector 5 Slum and go to Aeris's house. Talk to Elmyra, her mother. You can spend the night in the upstairs bedroom once the intermission ends. Return to the Wall Market and go to the dead-end area near the parlor. (you'll see a bunch of kids run in there). Climb up the pipe, and you'll find yourself high above the town. If you haven't gotten them already, go to the 'Machine & Gun' store and talk to the man at the left end of the store; he'll sell you 3 Battery for 300 gil. You'll need them to activate the boxes in this part of the game. With that in mind, examine the box-shaped object in the lower right to try and start a nearby propeller. Head up, and you'll jump onto the propeller. From there, make your way to the other box and activate the painted barrier. Climb up it, and use the O button to jump onto the swinging metal pipe. Despite what Cloud says, jump when it is close to you (just as it stops squeaking). After that, climb up to the next screen. Here, climb up, then drop down to activate the next box and you'll find an Ether. Climb down the lefthand pipe and make your way back up again. Instead of dropping down, continue up, and you'll find yourself at Shinra's headquarters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.9 shinra headquarters building ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Elixir, Elemental materia, Star Pendant, Four Slots, All materia, Phoenix Down, Ether, Poison materia, Grenade x1~3, Talisman, Enemy Skill materia, Potion x4, Mythril Armlet, Protect Vest, Guard Source. There's a Save Point here. You have the option of either heading to the left and climbing up a stairwell (sneaking in) or barging in through the front door ('kick some Shinra butt!', as Barret would say). Going up the stairs takes forever, but it's free of enemies and you can get an Elixir that's lying on one of the landings. On the other hand, going through the front door and taking the elevators in the back is faster, but you have to fight several battles along the way. Not only that, but you can chase around the Shinra staff before taking the elevator :) (or at least, you could in the Japanese version. They all ran away....) You can't use the circular lifts by the doors yet, but you can use them once you reach the 60th floor. If you go up the stairs, you'll see a door marked 'Accessories'. Inside the room, you can look at a monitor to see a short FMV sequence about Shinra's products (this is the 2nd most overlooked FMV in the game). There are two chests here, but the lady won't let you open them. She will sell you items, though. Remember, if you go through the front, check the control panel in the elevator (the one that goes haywire) after each enemy encounter in order to continue upwards. If you go up the stairs then change your mind and go back down, you won't have to fight anybody on the elevators, and the main area of the ground floor will be empty (an easy trick for not having to fight anyone :)). I advise that no matter which method you use, be sure to get the Elixir on the staircase. No matter what method you use, you'll eventually reach the 59th floor. Head southeast and kill the armored guards to get the Keycard 60, then take the lift to the 60th floor. Here, you'll have to head to the room in the upper-left and make it to the other side without being seen by the patrolling guards. In order to stay hidden from them, pause behind the gold statues, then lead Tifa and Barret across using the O button. If you mess up, not only to you get attacked (ambush-style combat), but you'll have to start all over again. However, after a while (if you mess up enough times), the guards won't reappear and you can just run to the end of the hallway. Keep in mind that the set of guards on the right half of the screen move faster than the ones on the left. Take the stairway up to the 61st floor. Talk to everyone here. A man who asks you about Aeris will give you the Keycard 62 if you answer "......". On floor 62, talk to the man in the room, Domino, and the man in white, (Hart) then check out the two library rooms. Answer Domino's question and he'll give you the Keycard 65. The problem with this is that the answer changes with each game you play. It seems like it would be easy enough to simply try each answer until you get it right, but you get an Elemental Materia for free if you answer correctly the first time. So, it's in your best interest to just reset and keep trying in order to get the materia. Hart will help you out if you need it, but he'll want you to pay him first. To get the answer, simply look for the misplaced file, and note the number of the file. Count forward that many letters, and write down that letter. After getting all four letters in this way, try to rearrange them into one of the words that Domino suggests is an answer. He gives you varying items depending on how many tries it takes you (you'll get lesser items if you mess up each time). The 63rd floor is tricky. You have to collect 3 Coupons from all three rooms, but you're only able to open 3 doors at a time. You can reset the doors by investigating the computer in the right-hand room, but that also resets the location of the Coupons. You can move around using walkways in the ducts; to enter them you have to climb into the black, box-shaped structures (there's one in the computer room). You can't do that unless you have at least one of the three items. To get the items, follow this procedure: activate the computer, then head to the top-right corner of the screen and open the gate farthest to the right. Head left and open the left-hand gate, then walk left and go south to enter the room where A Coupon is. Choose the top option to climb into the black box and use the walkway to get to the room where B Coupon is. Finally, go through the door in this room and open the door to the left, then go north to enter the room containing C Coupon. Then use the walkway to return to the computer room. Now if you want, you can just trade one of the Coupons for an item, but if you have all three then you'll get all three items. The trade setup works like this (choose 'Coupon Change'): - Trade Coupon A for the Star Pendant accessory - Trade Coupon B for the Four Slots bracelet - Trade Coupon C for the All materia To get your items (depending on how many coupons you have) go to the computer and choose the bottom option, then the top. Keep in mind that you can only do this once. On the 64th floor, you'll find a Save Point and bedroom to your left. You can use the machines in the exercise room, or spend 250 gil trying to get a health drink. Yeah, perhaps it seems stupid to waste your gil when you don't get anything now, but if you come back later.... If you examine the lockers in the back room, you can find a Phoenix Down, an Ether, and a M-phone (HP Shout), but you can only take the first two items for now. Head to the 65th floor. Here, you have to open a treasure chest, then examine a broken section of the model in the circular room and choose the top option to repair it. This unlocks one of the other chests, allowing you to open it and use the part inside to repair another section of the model. When you have finished, you'll get the Keycard 66 from the final chest. You must fix the model in a counter-clockwise fashion starting from the bottom. The order of the chests you open goes like this: - Upper-left room: bottom chest - Upper-left room: top chest - Lower-left room: left chest - Lower-left room: top chest - Upper-right room: chest - Middle-right room: get the Keycard 66 from here when you're done. On the 66th floor, you can either run into the meeting hall as quickly as you can (if you took the elevator...it's a glitch, and was possible in the Japanese version, at least :)), or you can enter the stall in the bathroom located in the northwest corner of the floor. Choose the middle option, and you'll climb on top of the toilet and enter an air duct. Move forward to see what the Shinra members (Reeve, Palmer, President Shinra, Heidegger, Hojo, and Scarlet) are discussing. Climb back out, then climb up the stairwell after Hojo (the pony-tailed scientist) in the room to the right of the meeting hall. Note that you'll end up in the air duct even if you ran into the hall...heh, heh. On the next floor (67), talk to the people and keep following the scientist. After looking in the purple chamber (and after Cloud gets another headache), move beyond the crates and to the right to find a Save Point and a treasure chest with a Poison Materia inside. Enter the elevator to the north, and then watch as the scientist toys with Aeris. Now, choose who you want to protect Aeris, (either Barret or Tifa), and then you can name the lion-like creature (Red 13) that was attacking Hojo. He'll fight alongside you when the mutant boss shows up. Don't forget that Red 13 comes equipped with his own Materia! _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: Sample:HO512 LV: 19 HP: 1000 MP: 120 Sample:HO512-OPT LV: 7 HP: 300 MP: 48 Don't try to kill this guy's little guardians; he'll only create more. Instead, use Bolt or Fire on him and try Restore to keep up your own life power. Avoid using physical attacks, Ice, or Poison. This means that Red 13 is better off using Fire against the boss than attacking. This battle is easier if you have Barret, who can inflict more damage. Don't worry about getting poisoned since you can get infected again when the boss uses the pink gas attack on your characters (there's no point in trying to de-poison yourselves). You'll get a Talisman should you kill the boss, and Grenades depending on the OPTs that you killed. _________________________________________________________________________ Tifa or Barret return after the battle (depending on who you chose). You'll be asked to make a new party (but you can keep the old one you had before, if you wish). When you're in control of Cloud again, be sure to grab the yellow materia (Enemy Skill) that's left behind in the sample chamber. Then go up the ladder and head south. Talk to the man in the gray coat to get the Keycard 68. Go back down to floor 66 and try entering one of the lifts; you'll get caught by Rude (he's a Turk who you'll be running into constantly throughout the game). He and Tseng will 'escort' you to a meeting with the president of Shinra. Afterwards, you'll end up in the jail cells on floor 67. Here, listen to everyone, then go to sleep. The next morning, you'll find that your door is unlocked. Investigate the guard, then talk to Tifa. Check the guard again to unlock the doors, then look in on Barret and Red 13. After freeing your companions, return to the lab and talk to Red 13. Talk to him again after taking the elevator up to the 68th floor, then use the incline to reach the walkway again. Go all the way along it until you find two purple Potions, then climb back down and enter the door from the ground floor. The green bars of light won't hurt you; run through them and pick up two more Potions before climbing up the stairs to the 69th floor. Go out the center door to reach a Save Point. Then, run up either of the purple stairs. Check out the dead Shinra president, capture Palmer, then go through the door to the north to exit the room. Outside, talk to the man in white. He's Rufus, son of the Shinra president. The other characters will return to the floor below, and you must lead them outside (you can also choose to unequip Aeris' and Cloud's materia in case you want to juggle them around for the upcoming battles). Your team now consists of Red 13, Barret, and Aeris; don't forget to reequip your Materia (it seems as if the top option removes it....) Head to the lift (by taking the lower door). When you activate it, you are attacked by a huge gun-wielding machine while going down the side of the Shinra building. _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: HUNDRED GUNNER LV: 18 HP: 1600 MP:0 weak against Lightning You can only use long-range attacks, so use Barret's attacks and his Limit Break as well as magic to harm this foe. Poison-based magic inflicts no damage, while Bolt does the most damage. Red 13 is a sitting duck if he doesn't have any spell Materia equipped, so be sure to deck him out with some magic spells (he can still use his Limit Break). When you inflict enough damage, the boss starts to break down. After the second collapse, he starts firing heat blasts that damage all members, so be careful. _________________________________________________________________________ After killing the boss, you must fight a flying machine. _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: HELI GUNNER LV: 19 HP: 1000 MP: 0 weak against Lightning As with the other boss, don't use Bio but do use Bolt. You may be weak after the last battle, so make use of Potions, the Restore Materia, and Aeris' B1/1 Break (Healing Wind) to restore lost life. You'll win a Mythril Armlet when the boss dies. _________________________________________________________________________ The scene switches back to Cloud. Heal yourself if necessary, equip Materia, then press Start. Rufus will then attack you. Feel free to adjust his equipment/Materia if need be before the battle. _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: RUFUS LV: 21 HP: 500 MP: 0 DARK NATION LV: 18 HP: 140 MP: 80 Kill the panther guardian first, then go after the boss. Although you can't do anything about the panther casting Barrier on Rufus, you can use magic instead to inflict damage. He can only hurt you with his shotgun, so don't worry about healing yourself after each round (just heal yourself when your life gets lower). Sock him with your Limit Breaks and he'll escape onto the circling helicopter after you've damaged him enough. Cloud will get a Protect Vest and a Guard Source when the battle ends. _________________________________________________________________________ Leave the rooftop and head back to where Tifa is waiting for you. As Aeris, try to approach the front doors. After a short conversation, you and the gang will escape by motorcycle (and truck). Your team is now made up of Cloud, Tifa, and Barret. An option screen appears where you have the following options: S Left Attack X Switch members O Right Attack T Main Menu Start Return to game Be sure to re-equip Materia before returning to the game! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.10 escape! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Star Pendant. Use the controller to move any any direction. Pressing S makes you slash to the left, and pressing O makes you slash to the right. The object here is to protect your friends in the truck from enemy cyclists. Eventually, you'll reach a dead end and fight the boss. The amount of life you start off with during the battle depends on how much life you and your friends lost during the high-speed escape. If a character lost all his life, he begins with only 1 point when the battle starts, but since the boss gets to make the first attack, they'll have to be revived using Phoenix Downs if there are any party members who survived. The boss is a spiked, armored robot with six wheels. _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: MOTOR BALL LV: 19 2600 MP: 120 weak against Lightning This boss gets a free attack from behind...sheesh. Most of his attacks do little damage, but his Firethrower and flying fire sweep attacks can kill your party in a single blast (the fire sweep does around 220 damage)! The best way to beat this group is have your party consist of Aeris and Barret. Give the All and Restore materia to either Cloud or Barret, and give the other character Lightning. This way, you can heal with one character, attack with another, and then use Aeris' Limit Break to keep your life up at all times. Ice works better than Fire against the boss (for those characters that don't have Lightning equipped). Remember, your rows are reversed when attacked from behind, so put Cloud and Barret in the back and Aeris in the front if you want them to line up properly when the boss shows up (assuming that's who you use...I found that they worked the best). If you beat the boss, you'll get a Star Pendant. _________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.11 kalm town / chocobo farm ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Ether x3, Peacemaker, Guard Source, Choco/Mog materia, Megalixir You'll find yourselves outside of the gate after beating the boss (you could also see this scene by going south from the church where you met Aeris the first time). Decide who will be in your group, then head towards the screen to exit and arrive at the World Map (the outside world). Outer World Controls T Menu Screen L2/R2 Change from overhead/side view L1/R2 Same effect as L2/R2 Turn left/right (during side view) Start shows World Map Start x2 Shows Large World Map Start x3 No map is shown Select Same as Start Kalm Town isn't far from Midgar; you should be able to see it if you walk north a ways. Go into the inn to see the rest of the gang waiting for you. Cloud will talk to the others about Sephiroth via a series of semi-interactive flashbacks: - You'll start off in a truck being driven by Shinra soldiers. After talking to the soldiers and Sephiroth (Cloud's former ally in the Shinra army and now a wanted criminal), the truck will be stopped by a dragon. You'll have to fight it, but Sephiroth (who is super- powerful) can kill it in two hits. In the flashback, Cloud's portrait is different; this 'Young Cloud' is of a low level, but Sephiroth is so strong that you need not worry about losing battles. However, you can't control Sephiroth's actions and you can't hurt him (because of your low level), either. Although Young Cloud comes equipped with an Pre-emptive materia and Sephiroth has several mastered materia equipped, you can't take them for your own (although you can if you use a Game Shark code...see section 14). Also, Young Cloud and Sephiroth can't use Limit Breaks (because they don't have any). - After the battle, you'll end up in Nibelheim, Cloud's hometown. Talk to Sephiroth and the guards if you wish, then head north. If you want to look around the town, feel free to, but nothing you do during this part of the game has an affect on the rest of your quest (although is does affect the character's questions and reactions to Cloud's story). One thing you might want to do is go into Tifa's house (the large building on the 'southeastern' side of town). You can read her stuff, play the piano (if you play the 'Highwind' theme, Cloud will act like he remembers it from somewhere), or even search her closet (hey, they changed 'slightly-stretched underwear' to 'orthopedic underwear'. What's the big deal? :)) Also note that you can't get Vincent Valentine during Cloud's flashback because you can't examine the safe :( - When you're done looking around town, go to the inn and head upstairs. Talk to Sephiroth and choose to get some sleep. The next day, talk to Sephiroth and get your picture taken, then sit back and watch the FMV. When you're in control of Cloud, head along the bridge and talk to Tifa, then talk to her again further along the bridge and it will break. After you've recovered, head northeast into the cave, then keep heading north. Eventually, you'll arrive at the Jenova plant. Enter it, head along the beams, then walk onto the wood platform and climb down the chains and go after Sephiroth. Talk to him in the next area, examine the chamber to the left of Sephiroth, then talk to him twice, once to make him move out of the way and once to make Cloud look inside the chamber. After Sephiroth goes ballistic, you'll return to Kalm Town. Pick the top option to save your game, or the bottom option to continue. Cloud's narrative starts off back at Nibelheim, where he enters the large mansion at the edge of town. - Inside, climb the two staircases and head to the right. Enter the lower door and make your way into the next room; if you examine the circular part of the stone wall, a passage appears. Enter it and climb down the spiraling walkway until you reach the bottom; keep walking from here to find a library. Leave after Sephiroth finishes talking. After Cloud wakes up, return to the library. Sephiroth gives a little speech then he exits the mansion; return to the town square. Try entering the house to your right. - Back at the Jenova plant, return to the area with the chambers after witnessing the struggle between Tifa and Sephiroth. Examine Tifa to carry her out of harm's way, then run up the stairs and enter the door that Sephiroth opened. After the FMV sequence, Cloud's flashback ends and you are returned to Kalm Town. On the second floor of the inn is a cabinet with an item in it that you can't reach. However if you keep trying to get it, Cloud will eventually knock the item down, which turns out to be a Megalixir. That's right, you can get a Megalixir at this early point in the game, so don't miss it! :) Note that you have to go to Kalm Town to proceed with the game; you can't make your way through the Mythril Mines beforehand, although you can visit the Chocobo Farm if you want to. As for treasure, there's an Ether in the door beneath the stairs in the house near the inn, another Ether in the cabinet on the second floor of the house to the right of that house, and a Peacemaker in the chest on the second floor of the third house (take the curving stairs). You can also look out of the window here (a neat little trick). If you take the normal stairs in the same house, you can get a Guard Source in the cabinet by the little girl. Finally, in the house on the other side of the town, there is an Ether in the door beneath the stairs on the north wall of the first floor. Oh, you'll be given the PHS (Party Hensei System) when you talk to your allies on the first floor of the inn; it allows you to switch group members whenever you want, providing that you're in the World Map or standing on a Save Point (there are a few exceptions to this rule). Note that in the house to the right of the inn, there's a chest you can't open on the upper floor. If anyone knows how to unlock it, I'd love to hear from you. Leave the town and head east to reach the Chocobo Farm. Talk to the Chocobo at the front end of the pen and choose the top option to see the big yellow birds dance; you'll get the Choco/Mog materia afterwards. Then, talk to Choco Billy (the man with the hat) in the stables behind the pen. Choose the first option, then the 4th option, then the top option again. Providing you have 2000 gil to spare, he'll sell you a Chocobo Lure materia, which lets you attract chocobos to ride. To catch a chocobo, wander around outside on the chocobo tracks (in this area of the game, you can meet them on the light patches of grass, too), until you are attacked. If a chocobo is one of your opponents, then kill off the other enemies and when the battle ends, you'll be riding the chocobo. If you attack the chocobo, it will hurt you and the other enemies, then escape, so you'll have to try again. Don't forget, you can only fight chocobos if you have the Chocobo Lure materia equipped. When riding a chocobo, your can move around normally, and you won't get attacked by enemies. You can press X to dismount, but if you do this, the Chocobo will run away and you'll have to catch another one. A little to the south and directly west of the Chocobo farm is a cave, but a creeping snake in the marsh before the cave entrance will rise up to attack you. Instead of trying to kill it now, go get a Chocobo instead, who can outrun the snake and enter the cave. Yes, you will still get attacked if the snake touches your chocobo. Note that you can run across the marsh on foot, but nothing special happens if you do so (and it's nigh-impossible to pull off without running into Midgar Zolom). _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: MIDGAR ZOLOM LV: 26 HP: 4000 MP: 348 This boss has two deadly attacks: one is a tail swipe that knocks a team member off-screen and puts them out of commission for the rest of the battle. The other one is the Beta enemy skill, which inflicts around 1000-1200 points of damage (which spells instant defeat if your allies are weak, although you should try to pick up this skill if you have a Enemy Skill materia equipped). Along with his bite attack, this serpent can be a tough enemy if you try to fight him earlier in the game. It's easier if you try to defeat him after you have Cid's airplane, since you can use Limit Breaks and powerful summon and magic spells to kill it. Unfortunately, you get a measly amount of EXP, AP, and gil for beating the boss and what's worse, he reappears when you return to the World Map, so you're right back where you started. _________________________________________________________________________ Note that if Midgar Zolom knocks one of your allies off-screen, the game won't end should the other members be killed; instead, you'll find yourself standing at the edge of the marsh. The first time you get across the marsh, you'll see a large snake impaled on a tree. Just exit the screen to continue playing. Also, if you get off your chocobo while on the patch of grass before the mine entrance, he'll stay there in case you need to return to the farm (this doesn't seem to happen all the time--I don't know why). If you're strong enough, you can get to the Mythril Mines without ever having to go to the Chocobo Farm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.12 mithril mine / junon town ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Ether, Tent, Long Range materia, Mind Source x2, Elixir, Power Wrist, Shiva materia, Grenade or Potion x6 or Ether x6, Enemy Skill materia, 1/35 soldier x2, Luck Source, Power Source, Guard Source, Speed Plus Source, Silver Glasses or HP Plus or Force Stealer. Inside the Mythril Mine, head northeast to find a green Ether on the stone steps. In the chest is a Tent, so be sure to grab it. If you try climbing up the brown vine on the western rock face, you'll find a purple materia (Long Range). Climb back down, return to the first area, then head left. Make your way southeast to find a chest with a Mind Source inside, then head west to reach the next area. Here, you'll run into some of the Turks again: Rude, Elena, and Tseng. Once they leave, walk north. There's a chest with a Elixir inside it and a Hi-Potion just to the north of the chest. Return to the area where you met the Turks, climb up the vine, and go through the door to exit the mine and return to the World Map. From now on, you can meet Yuffie in the forests and have her join you (refer to section 8 for details). Nearby is a rocky outcropping with a huge bird statue atop it, the Condor Fort. Enter it and choose the second option when talking to the man out front. After climbing up the rope, you'll find yourself in a town built into the rock itself. There is a Save Point, item shop, bedroom (you can sleep for free), and Materia shop here. Talk to everyone. There's also a mini-battle you can fight here. When you're done, leave and go northwest through the forest to Junon Town by the shore. For information on fighting the battles in the mini-game, refer to section 7.6 (Having Fun). Once you arrive at Junon, talk to the villagers, then go down the stairs to the shore. Here, a young girl named Priscilla is playing with a dolphin. Out of nowhere, a big flying boss shows up and attacks her, then your party. _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: BOTTOMSWELL LV: 23 HP: 2500 MP: 100 weak against Wind WATERPOLO LV: 5 HP: 40 MP: 0 There's not much to worry about; just attack with Lightning or Poison- based spells and keep your life up. Since this guy's flying, some characters can't attack him (like Tifa), while some can (Barret). Find out which guys should be casting magic and which should be attacking early on in the battle. On the other hand, if you have a Long Range Attack materia handy, equip it, since that will let you attack the boss. Sometimes, the boss puts an HP-reducing bubble around a character. It only disappears if you cast a magic spell upon it (this won't hurt the 'bubbled' person). If you have the Affect All materia, you can use this to cast a spell on the bubbled person and the boss at the same time. Before dying, the boss will attack with Big Wave, (he can do this normally, but always does one before he disappears) so watch out and make sure your HP is high enough to withstand an attack. You'll receive a Power Wrist when the battle is over. _________________________________________________________________________ After killing the boss, you'll have to revive Priscilla. To do this, watch the lung-shaped meter that appears in the upper right. Press the S button once to make the meter start to raise. Just as it reaches the top, press S again to make Cloud breathe into the girl's mouth. It will take a couple of tries, but don't sweat it; she can't die. Afterwards, go to the house near the entrance to town and talk to the old lady standing there. Decide to stay the night. That evening, Cloud will have another bad dream. In the morning, leave and go to the house above the stairs (your friends will have gathered near it). Priscilla will give you the Shiva materia, a gift for saving her life. Follow her to the shore, then talk to her a second time. Barret will show up and the girl will keep talking; when you have the chance, choose the middle option. Your goal in this part of the game is to leap atop the iron beam above the electrical tower so that you can sneak into the heart of Junon Town. Your controls are: X Swim faster S Makes the dolphin flip you into the air If you get to close to the electric blasts traveling along the tower, you'll get shocked and will have to try again (just pick the second option). The easiest way to get up there is to simply not move and press S. The dolphin will miss and deposit you near the bottom of the screen. However, you'll be perfectly positioned, so if you press S again, Cloud will land on the beam. Once you're on it, head to the left to get a good view of the flying airship 'Highwind'. Make your way south (towards the 'front' of the screen) to continue once you've climbed up the ladder. The next area has a higher and lower level. If you investigate the box- like switch, you'll be taken to the lower level. From there, head south to find a building. Can't find it? Well, there is a projecting roof nearby which has a door underneath it; just press against the edge and you'll enter a hallway filled with soldiers. In the halls, go up to find a locker room. Check out the half-open locker and choose to dress up as a guard. When the other soldiers enter and start singing, talk to the captain again and tell him you understand (or tell him no if you want to watch a little more), when you're ready to leave. Outside, take note of the Save Point before going through the lower exit. After the FMV sequence, follow the guards into the first alleyway. You'll come across a group of marching soldiers. The head guard will want you to join in and march with them perfectly, but it may take a couple of attempts before this event will end if you mess up badly. You also have to move your gun in time with the soldiers by pressing and releasing the O button. Depending on how high or low the TV counter was during this scene (the one in the lower right-hand corner), you will get the following: PERCENT NAME TYPE 1% - 21% = Grenade Item 22% - 39% = Potion x6 Item 39% - 50% = Ether x6 Item 51% - 99% = 5000 gil Currency (note that this chart isn't 100% exact...feel free to send corrections!) Afterwards, you'll have to stand at attention while Rufus and Heidegger talk to each other...press in any direction and the captain of the guard will tell you to get back in line. After the rest of the soldiers leave, the captain will give you an option; choose either option and you'll return to the locker room for some training on the next event. There, you can try to follow the captain's orders, if you wish. When he asks you a question, choose the top choice to try training again, or the bottom option to finish the training. Once the soldiers leave, follow them outside. Now's your chance to do a little shopping and treasure hunting. You'll run into Rude in the basement of the first weapon shop, but he won't recognize you in your Shinra guard uniform. Go through the third door and talk to the guard near the back of the room, then jump down to an area with several Shinra guards and some holograms. In the far corner of the room is a yellow materia (Enemy Skill). This place is similar to the 'House of Learning' back in Midgar where you could learn about the game's mechanics. On the second floor of the same building, you can get a 1/35 soldier and a Mind Source. In the room with the cats nearby is a Luck Source. On the third floor is a red Power Source and a green Guard Source. If you enter the fourth door (the first door on the other side of town), you'll find that that Elena, Rudo, and Tseng of the Turks are here. It's a good thing that you're in that uniform :) Go through the sixth door to find a room with a soldier; you can check the silver trashbin or the opposite chair to get a message from the guard (yes, this is a glitch) and pick up a yellow Speed Source in the side room. On the floor above, you can pick up another 1/35 soldier. In the next area, Heidegger and Rufus show up again. You have to do your salute according to what the captain of the guard tells you to do (remember your training)! At the very end, all you have to do is be facing forward: pressing any button will make you do the 'spinning gun' salute. Unfortunately, the order of commands is random each time you play, so just do your best. Afterwards, you can press the following buttons to make Cloud do funny things: S Scratch back with gun X Put one leg forward T Shrug Pad Stand at attention Depending on how well you did during the salute, Heidegger will give you an item. Each 'button press' action was worth 10 points, and the final salute was worth 30 points. Changing direction was worth 0 points, but unless you were facing in the correct direction, any action you performed was worth 0 points. Also, performing an action was worth 0 points if you did it too late (although you'll get full points if you do the action early). Your total score determines what you will receive (notice that Rufus' reactions change depending on what item you will be given): SCORE NAME TYPE 000 - 050 = Silver Glasses Accessory 060 - 090 = HP Plus Independent Materia 100 - 200 = Force Stealer Weapon (for Cloud) After everyone else leaves, Red 13 (who was watching from just inside the boat) will talk to you if you try to leave instead of boarding the boat. Either way, you'll end up joining your friends in the boat's hull. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.13 shinra cargo ship ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Ether, All materia, Wind Slash, White Cape. Open the treasure chest to get an Ether, and be sure to pick up the blue materia (All). If Yuffie's in your party, she'll be blocking the way to the materia, but you can always get it later. Speaking of, if you're trying to befriend Yuffie for the 'date' sequence later, make sure you have a Tranquilizer to give her. Talk to the people here, then go up on the deck and talk to everyone else; you'll notice that some of them are your companions (don't miss Red 13 :)). The man in white will sell you items if you talk to him, or 'Invisible Alpha', a instant-use drink that restores your HP and MP. Once you're done talking to your pals, go back down and talk to Aeris, then return to the deck and go all the way to the left; one of the guards has left, allowing you to sneak to the front of the ship. Here, talk to Barret, who is spying on the Shinra members. After talking to him a couple of times, an alarm will sound. Go back to the center of the boat to find your friends. Then, assemble your party. If you want to change the setup, talk to your friends again. When you're ready, go downstairs and head through the door that the one guard was standing in front of. In the next room, watch out for enemies and climb up the ladder, the walkway leads to a chest with a Wind Slash inside. Did you get all the items on the boat? When you're ready, go and talk to the captain of the guards. It turns out that he's dead. Then, Sephiroth shows up, and summons a huge monster for you to fight before he flies away. _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: JENOVA*BIRTH LV: 25 HP: 4000 MP: 110 Earth, Fire, and Cold magic work well against it, but don't use Poison. Attack with your Summon Materia and hit it with everything you've got. Keeping your HP up is a priority, since it can use lasers to attack one or all members. Only use physical attacks if you are running low on MP. The boss can cast 'Stop' on a single ally so make sure that you're not too dependent on any one character during the battle. Some Phoenix Tails will also come in handy, since the boss sometimes uses a laser that hits all allies (Terror Laser) twice in a row (which can inflict loads of damage). You'll get a White Cape when the battle is over. _________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.14 costa del sol ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Ifrit materia, Power Source x2, Motor Drive, Fire Ring, W Machinegun, Turbo Ether, Transform materia, Wizard Staff, Star Pendant, Soft x2, Phoenix Down x10, Mind Source, Tent. Grab the red Materia (Summon Ifrit) after the battle and wait for the boat to dock. Talk to the people here and then go up the stairs. A short automatic sequence follows. In the next area, go into the door to meet a shady guy who will sell you this room for 300,000 gil; you can sleep here for free anytime you want afterwards. Climb down the stairs in the bottom part of the room to reach a basement with a sleeping man. You can get a Power Source and a Motor Drive here, as well as a Fire Ring from the treasure chest. You'll meet Mukki (from the cabaret in the Wall Market) in the bar, as well as some of his friends. If you go down to the beach, you'll run into Hojo (the scientist you met in the Shinra HQ). You can talk to him if you want, but you won't get anything out of it. Note that if you stayed at an inn here before going to the beach, Hojo will be gone, however, you can stay at the villa, if you bought it, and he will still be there. After talking to him, any party members who aren't in your group will disperse around town. Outside of the town, head through the mountains and across the bridge. You'll find a cave-like entrance. Talk to the man on the hill, then keep heading north. Eventually, you'll reach a walkway that leads to a large Makoro furnace. Head south and follow the train tracks; there's no point in looking around here. Keep going, and you'll come across some curving tracks and a Save Point. As you walk along the tracks, you can get the following items: W Machinegun, Turbo Ether, and a Transform materia. These tracks are rickety, and when you walk across them in certain areas a message will appear telling you to press O so that you don't fall through them. It's better to let yourself fall, because you can then hold left or right and rapidly press O to land beneath the tracks. Then, press Up to climb back up. If you landed on the left side of the tracks, you can pick up a Wizard Staff. If you landed in the middle, you can't get anything, but if you landed on the right side, you'll find a Star Pendant. There are three places where you can fall through the tracks, so be sure to get these items. Take the upper rail path to the next area. Are your friends waiting for you on the lower track? If they're not, then go back and take the lower path. You'll get an option to summon them using the PHS system. Assuming they're there, take the upper path and keep walking until you find a wooden shed. Enter it and pick the top choice when you're prompted to make a decision. This will lower the tracks on the bottom path. Before returning to the lower rail path and following after your allies, you can walk to the end of the path you're on and climb the wall; you'll hear birds chirping if you're in the right place. After finding the nest, you can choose to take the treasure in the nest (the top option), or leave the birds alone (the bottom option). If you choose the top option, you're attacked. _________________________________________________________________________ TIPS: COCATRICE LV: 17 HP: 420 MP: 0 This guy's easy; just attack until it dies. You'll get 10 Phoenix Downs should you kill it. You can get two Softs from it; one by stealing, the other by killing it with Morph (assuming you're using a GameShark code.) _________________________________________________________________________ You'll get 10 Phoenix Downs after the battle is over. Cloud will then return to the train tracks. Keep in mind that this is a one-shot deal; whether you decide to take the treasure or not, you can only make a choice one time. As you're traveling along the lower rail path, you'll see a part where the track splits in two directions. Take the left path (the one that turns back). Walk north (towards the bridge), then right (under the first bridge). It may sound confusing, but you'll end up in a little shack where there's a bunch of items and a man resting on a bulldozer. There's a Mind Source and a Power Source here, and the chest has a Tent inside of it. Leave and follow the other path across the bridge in the next area to reach the town of North Corel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.15 gold saucer / corel prison ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Silver Armlet, Ramuh materia. There's some merchants here at North Corel and an inn. You can also learn more about Barret here, whether he's in your party or not. When you're done shopping and chatting, go to the ropeway. After Barret has a flashback about his friend Dain, take the lift up to the Gold Saucer. You can return to the World Map by heading right from the bottom area of the town, but there's nothing to do out there (aside from saving your game or riding around on a Chocobo). You'll see a Save Point in the background of the first area of the Gold Saucer, but you'll need GP (not gil, like what you've been using) to activate it. Pay the man to get in (the first choice is for a one-visit entry free, the second choice gets you a 'Gold Ticket', which lets you enter the Gold Saucer as often as you'd like), and then choose the path of your choice after your companions separate. You can take a pal with you by talking to them. If you try to leave the Station Square (the area where you're at; all the areas in the Saucer are divided into 'squares'), Aeris will join you. As you explore the rest of the Gold Saucer, you'll discover that Shinra soldiers are snooping around, looking for Sephiroth. When you're ready to move on, go to the Wonder Square. Here, you'll meet Cait Sith, a would-be fortuneteller. He'll automatically join you since you only have two members (you and your friend) at this point. Go to the Battle Square and you'll find a bunch of dead bodies; the handiwork of 'a man with a gun on for an arm'. As you're talking to the one person who is still alive, Dio, the proprietor of the Gold Saucer, shows up and promptly blames you for the carnage. Cait Sith makes a dash for freedom, but after following him, the party is trapped. Dio and his henchmen then summon three large robots that throw you and your allies through the 'Gateway to Heaven' to a desolate area, the Corel Prison, which lies at the base of the Gold Saucer. Here, you'll find Barret. After he runs away, examine the dead body and talk to the other guy before going though the southern gate. There is a treasure chest here (in the chamber at the base of the ladder), but it's already opened (anyone know if there's supposed to be something in it that you could have gotten earlier?) In the Japanese version of FF7, this is the place where you could have (supposedly) fought Test Zero, (not that it's important now). In the second area, talk to everyone here. The building to the far southeast is a bar, and a man inside will sell you items, and you can sleep in the front truck part of the big rig. After looking around here, enter the building to the east (it doesn't matter which entrance you take). Barret will show up once you're inside, as will Tifa and Aeris. After Barret's flashback (in which his best friend falls down a gorge and North Corel is razed to the ground), reassemble your team and go back to the first area. Examine the guard (who is dead), then either leave through the gate. If you exit by going through the area between the gate and the building to the right, you'll end up wandering around in a wasteland until a caravan (the same one that Tifa was captured in) shows up. When it does, pick the top option to get a ride back to the area beyond the gate or choose the bottom option to stay where you are (in the middle of nowhere...you'll have to keep wandering around until the caravan shows up again). Anyway, once you've gone past the gate, talk to the man out here and go to the _right_. Any other direction leaves you stranded in the desert (read the above paragraph again if you want to get back on track). This takes you to the caryard. Go up from here and you'll run into none other than Dyne (the guy from Barret's flashback). He tells Barret about Eleanor and Marlene (who is actually his daughter), then decides to attack Barret. In the battle, you're forced to fight using just Barret, so make sure you equipped him with good stuff beforehand. _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: DYNE LV: 23 HP: 1200 MP: 20 The easiest way to kill this boss is simply let him hit you; his attacks increase your Limit meter quickly. Use the Restore materia to restore lost life, then hit him with the Big Shot Limit Break when your meter maxes out. A summoning Materia (like Shiva or Ifrit) is also a good way to inflict added damage. Just make sure you have all the MPs you need, and you can win in no time. The boss can pull off a final attack before dying, so keep your life up (but he can't do it if you kill him fast enough). You get a Silver Armlet for beating him. _________________________________________________________________________ After Barret's friend dies, you'll find yourself back in the trailer. After talking to Mr. Coates, you'll be invited to become a Chocobo racer. In the elevator shaft, choose the top option to have the racing process explained to you, or pick the bottom one to skip it. In the room with the other men, check the alcove by the Chocobo poster for a red Summon Materia (Ramuh). Then, talk to the girl in pink (Ester) to start racing. Your controls as a Chocobo racer are: S Speed Up X Speed Down O Dash (uses up your Dash Meter) Select Switch between Automatic and Manual control R1+R2 Hold these buttons to refill your Dash Meter. The more you Dash, the slower your walking speed is, so conserve your Dash Meter for when you really need it. You have to keep racing until you win, so get good fast! Ester will explain the controls to you again prior to the race if you choose the top option, or you can conclude your conversation with her and start racing by choosing the bottom option. If you can't get the hang of it, then just keep racing using the Automatic Sequence mode until you get first place. Important: Remember this! You can refill your Dash Meter slowly by holding down R1 + R2. You can increase your Chocobo's walking speed by holding L1 + L2 in addition to R1 + R2. Keep this in mind if you ever decide to become a chocobo jockey later on in the game. After winning, you'll receive the Buggy as first prize, and can now roam freely about the overworld and even pass through shallow rivers! (Look for lighter-shaded fords along the rivers.) Your controls are set up in the following manner: X Exit buggy O Enter buggy T Main Menu Select/Start World Map (press repeatedly to enlarge/hide map) L1/R1 Rotate view (or return to side view if in overhead view) L2/R2 Change view You _can_ run into enemies in the buggy, so be careful. Also, you can only return to the Golden Saucer if you take the ropeway from North Corel Town; you can't get there using the buggy. If you go across the river south from the Golden Saucer and look around, you'll find a house on a peninsula; you can't explore it yet, so ignore it for now. BTW, you can return to the desert if you get in the buggy, enter the desert surrounding the Saucer, and touch the houses at the base of the Saucer. However, you'll find that there's nothing to do here but wander through the desert--do so long enough and the same cart that Tifa was abducted in will pull up and offer you a ride back to your vehicle. Choose the top option to accept and the bottom option to stay where you are. And as the help menu indicates, it's possible to return to Junon Town and take the Buggy with you. After you've completed the scenario with Cid and gotten the Tiny Bronco, you can explore the house on the peninsula; you can also get Aeris' Level 4 Limit Break manual at that point in the game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.16 gongaga town / cosmo canyon ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Fairy Tale, X-Potion x2, Titan materia, Deathblow materia, Added Effect materia, Ether, Black M-phone, X-Potion, Fairy Ring, Ether Turbo, Wizer Staff, Gravity materia, Elixir. You can get a second Elixir, a Magic Source, and the FullCure materia here from Disc 2 onwards. Now, head south from the Golden Saucer across the river. You don't have to go to Gongaga town right now if you don't want; while you can still get the Deathblow and Titan materias later, you can't fight Reno or Rude, nor can you get the treasure they're carrying. In any case, go into the black structure surounded by a forest, if you want to go to Gongaga. Reno and Rude are here. After Elena shows up and alerts the other Turks to your presence, you'll be asked a question. No matter what your answer is, you'll have to fight Reno and Rude at the same time. _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: RENO LV: 22 HP: 2000 MP: 80 RUDE LV: 23 HP: 2000 MP: 135 Use Summoning spells to even the odds at the start of the round, then go after either one. Once you injure one enough times, he'll leave, then the other one will. It may be better to attack Rude, since he can heal himself and Reno, but then again, Reno can inflict more damage. In any case, this fight isn't too hard either way. You'll get a Fairy Tale and a X-Potion should you win the battle. _________________________________________________________________________ After the Turks leave, head northeast, then go north to reach a pile of scrapped machinery. As you're looking around, Scarlet and Tseng show up in the Shinra helicopter and talk about 'Huge Materia' (which you'll learn more about in Disc 2). After they leave, examine the area where Scarlet was standing and choose the bottom option to get the Titan materia. Then go back to the first area and head left. In the second area, there is a Deathblow materia near the left path (which returns you to the World Map). If you take the north path, you'll arrive at Gongaga Town. Be sure to visit the stores (don't forget that you can climb up the pole in the Accessory Shop to reach a room where you can buy weapons) and get the treasure chests from the inn (X-Potion) and the old man's house (White M-phone). If you go into the far right house, you'll meet an old couple who apparently know Cloud (or someone just like him), and someone else named Zack. When you're done here, return to the World Map. Head southwest, then turn toward the river and go over the shallows, and then make your way up through the mountains to reach Cosmo Canyon. If you try to drive past the town, the buggy will short out, so you don't really have any choice but to enter the town (and you can't get anywhere else without the buggy, so even if you didn't drive it past Cosmo Canyon and entered on foot, it wouldn't matter. Note that if you leave the Buggy and enter Cosmo without having your vehicle malfunction, Bugenhagen won't mention that it was repaired to it when you leave). There's an Elixir in the 'Shildra Inn' near the benches; this is the same one the buggy repairman will tell you about if your buggy was broken and you paid him in order to tell you about the Elixir. When you approach the man at the gate, Red 13 will talk to him (he'll either bound up the steps past your party if he's not with you, or he'll just leave your party and start talking if he was with you previously). Everyone here knows Red 13 by the name 'Nanaki'. After Red heads up the stairs, talk to the guard and choose the bottom option to be let into the town (Red 13 will reappear to make sure you guys get in). If he was in your party, you'll have the option to make a new team; otherwise, you can look around town freely. Don't miss the Save Point located in the Tigerlily Arms Shop. In the Item Shop, there is a passage with a red rope across it that prevents you from checking out the room in the back. Keep this place in mind because if you return to Cosmo Canyon in Disc 2 or 3, the rope will have been removed and you can get an Elixir, a Magic Source, and the FullCure materia orb from the back room. Before continuing your quest, go the the Shildra Inn. On the left side of the screen, hidden behind a bench, is a hard-to-spot Elixir that you'll probably want to hold on to. Eventually head up to the observatory, where you'll run into Red 13 and Bugenhagen, an old geezer who knows all kinds of things. After Red 13 leaves, go back down and talk to your friends in order to make a new party. Then talk to Red 13 in the room connected to the inn before returning to the observatory. Enter the side door, chat with Bugenhagen, and you'll see a short FMV sequence. When it's over, return to the large bonfire (the Cosmo Candle) to the right of the entrance. Your friends are here. Talk to everyone here, then chat with Red 13 a second time. Bugenhagen will show up, and you'll make a new group (with Red 13 as a permanent member). If you want someone else, just talk to another ally (it doesn't matter which one). Follow Bugenhagen back to the sealed door above the weapons shop and talk to him, then choose the top option. He'll open the door for you. Enter and climb down to the very bottom of the shaft, then head left. In the next area, head right and up until you see a hole facing left*. Enter it and you'll be given an option. Pick the top one to make an opening appear nearby. Go through it, then head up and left. You'll slide on the oil and hit a spiked wall, reducing every member's HP by 500 points. To avoid it, tap on the controller in order to make Cloud inch is way across the oil (note that hitting the spikes can only reduce a person's life to 1 HP. However, if one of your members died beforehand, they'll be revived with 1 HP!) Then go south, through the hole, and head right to reach the Added Effect materia you couldn't get in the first area. Go back and carefully _walk_ along the edge of the path to avoid slipping across the oil. Then go right, up, left, down the stairs, and through the underpassage to reach a chest with an Ether inside of it. Then return to the stairs and go left, then down to find a second chest containing a Black M-phone. Then climb back up the stairs and head to the upper-left to leave this area. * If you enter any of the other three holes, you'll be given the same option, but if you choose the top choice, you'll be attacked. Doing this doesn't seem to alter the level in any way, but you're better off doing this after you've cleared the _whole_ area out instead of doing it right now; I'd rather be safe than sorry, in my opinion. There are five passages in this area; you only want to take the 2nd and 4th passages from the left. First, take the 4th passage. When you touch the web beyond it, you'll have to fight a giant spider (Stinger). When you've killed it, follow the path north to find a chest with an X-Potion inside. Then go back and take the 2nd passage from the left. Kill the Stinger that attacks you when you touch the web and then head left and down. As you're going through the tunnel, hold right and you'll find an alternate path that leads to yet another treasure chest. You'll find a Fairy Ring in it. Go back up to where the web was and walk north to find another web. Past it is the exit, but try holding left and Cloud will go along a passage hidden by the rock that leads to a chest. There's an Turbo Ether inside. When you approach the giant face in the next cavern, it begins to move and you are attacked. _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: GI NATTAK LV: 29 HP: 5500 MP: 200 Don't worry about the Soul Fires this boss has with him; just use your Summon Materia, then concentrate on attacking and using Limit Breaks on the big guy himself. If your spell Materia has hit second level, then iCE and Lightning work nicely on him. You don't even need to worry about your life much; the boss can be taken down before any serious damage is done to your party. You'll get a Wizer Staff should you be successful in battle. For a very quick kill, try using a Phoenix Down or X-Potion, or cast Life on him, but be warned that it will take quite a few tries to get it to work. _________________________________________________________________________ Grab the spell Materia (Gravity) that's left behind and follow Bugenhagen up the steps. After the sequence with Red 13 and his father, Seto, make a new party and leave the town. Red 13 will rejoin you when you try to leave. Oh yes, the Buggy will be working again when you leave Cosmo Canyon, and if it never blew up in the first place, well, it won't happen anyway :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.17 return of sephiroth ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Luck Source x2, Elixir x2, Platinum Fist, Turbo Ether, Silver M-phone, Twin Viper, Enemy Launcher, Magic Source, Destruct materia, Rune Blade, Platinum Barrette, Powersoul, All Materia, Elemental Materia, Sniper CR, Jem Ring, Counter Attack materia (if you open up the safe in the mansion, you can get the Cosmo Memory manual and the Odin materia, not to mention a Key Item (Key to Basement). You can also get 1 gil by playing the 'Highwind' theme on the piano. In Disc 2, you can get an 'Elemental Materia' and the 'Final Heaven' manual (refer to section 8 for details). Get in the buggy and continue past Cosmo Canyon. Head north to find a river with a shallow ford you can cross. Past it, the mountains are of a different type than what you usually see. Near them is a small town, Nibelheim. Look familiar? It's the same one Sephiroth and Cloud went to in Cloud's flashback. First, go into the inn. Talk to the black creature in the back to get a Luck Source. You can get an Elixir from another one of the creatures in the Item Shop, and a second Luck Source if you talk to the small creatures in the upper floor of the southeastern house. The large house to the east is Tifa's home, and you'll be given a Platinum Fist and an Turbo Ether if you talk to the creatures here. There's a piano in Tifa's room that you can fool around with, too (see section 8 for details). This next section is optional--you can just continue on through the mountains if you want. However, Sephiroth won't show up in the mansion after you reach Disc 2, meaning you can't nab the Destruct materia unless you get it from him during the first disc (read below for details). Now, go into the large mansion at the edge of town. Left of the entrance is a piece of paper written by a Shinra worker. It has several hints on it that clue you in to the combination of the safe on the upper floor. Here's where to find the safe numbers: - Search the other end of the broken piano in the west wing. - Open the chest in the greenhouse, then examine it again. - Search the hallway in the east wing, north from the bedroom. - Read the piece of paper and put the cursor on the blank space at the bottom. Head right and look for the sliver of light near the stairway, it's very hard to see. It's an opening that leads to the lower section of another room. There's a chest here, with a Silver M-phone inside. Go back out and go into the northern door beneath the staircase. In the adjoining hall, head right and and up to find a chest with a Twin Viper in it. To the left is a room with a broken piano (which you could have also reached by looking for the opening near the left 9staircase in the main room). Go up the stairs and head left. In the circular room is a chest that has an Enemy Launcher inside. There's nothing in the northern room except for a locked safe--you'll need the right combination in order to open it (see section if you don't know how). If you want to try your luck, examine it with the O button and choose the top option to enter the combination or the bottom option to quit. Open the safe (or not), then go right and into the right wing of the manor house. If you go up, you'll find a chest with a Magic Source inside. Then go into the lower room and examine the curved wall to open a secret passage. Go down the spiraling walkway, and then head right. If you got the gold key from the safe, you can open the northern door (refer to section 14 for details). Continue to the right to find a library. Then go north and you'll run into none other than Sephiroth, who will pelt you with a green materia before flying away. Be sure to get the materia (Destruct) before leaving the mansion. Once you're back outside, leave Nibelheim from the northern entrance and continue along until you see a passage leading into the mountains. In the next area, follow the path until it splits, and take the north path, which wraps around the back of a spire and leads to a chest with a Rune Blade inside of it. Now go back and follow the original path. You'll notice that just before the bridge, there's a path that curves away to the north. Follow it up into the mountains and when it curves south, take that path instead of continuing in the same direction. The path curves several times, but eventually you'll make it to the top of the mountain, where you can find a chest with a Plus Barrette. It may help if you press SELECT so that you can see yourself when a mountain is blocking your view, and if you can't seem to get any further, press in other directions (like down) to scale the back of the mountain. Go back down to the main path and head up the bridge. Inside the cavern, take the ladder down instead of the tubes, or you won't be able to get all the treasure in this area unless you climb back up and unfold the ladders from the bottom (is this possible in the US version? It wasn't in the Japanese one). You don't have to worry about the large boss near the door just yet. Feel free to make use of the Save Point, then climb back to the top of the area. Enter the pipe labeled '2' to end up on a rocky ledge. There's an item bag here with a Powersoul inside; get it and then press down to jump down to a lower ledge, then press down again to reach the floor. Climb back up one last time and go into the pipe labled '4' in order to reach the treasure chest on the bottom ledge below; there's an All materia lying within. Walk against the right edge of the ledge to drop down to the floor. Notice that the treasure chest is repeatedly opening and closing? It's just a glitch, one that (surprisingly) wasn't in the Japanese version. See the path heading south, just below the path that the boss is blocking? Follow it to go outside, then try to keep walking and you'll drop down to the lower ledge. Following the path here leads to a dead end, so enter the cave instead and take the righthand path once you're inside. Ignore the exit at the other end of the cave and work your way southwest, then go through the small hole. Walk up, then left, then down in order to reach the treasure chest you could see when you first came in here. Inside it is an Elixir. Now go through the exit to arrive at a wooded area. On the ground, to the left of the mass of crystallized Materia is an Elemental materia. Take it and proceed north, going through the opening to go back into the caves. Inside, head to the right, then go up as far as you can and walk left past the stone walls to reach a chest containing a Sniper CR. Then go back and take the rightmost passage. It goes south and leads you back to the outside. From here, head left (going right leads you to a dead end). You'll eventually end up at the Jenova Plant you visited in Cloud's flashback. There's nothing to do inside the plant, so continue beyond it to the door set in the rock wall. Enter it and you'll end up back in the chamber with the pipes again. It's true that you could have taken the door and done this entire sequence in reverse, but then you couldn't have scaled the ledge and you would have to go all the way back, instead of taking the express route like you just did :) Now climb down and examine the boss, and it will attack you. _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: MATERIA KEEPER LV: 38 HP: 8400 MP: 300 Don't use Fire-related attacks; it'll only heal him. Red 13's Limit Break B1/1 works well, as does Cloud's B2/1 Limit Break. I'd also suggest using the 'Choco/Mog' materia as much as you can--it's ability to stun this boss is very useful. Physical attacks should do the trick if you have good weapons; save your MPs for healing yourselves. Cure2 combined with the All Materia are a good combination (remember to link them when selecting holders) if you want to stay alive, since the boss can inflict 300-800 points of damage with its stabbing/mauling attacks. Also, he can heal himself (around 1000 hp's worth), and use the damaging Trine skill, which causes about 500 points of damage to all those still alive. If Red's learned his B1/2 break or someone knows Haste, it would be a wise idea to use it at the start of the round. Since the Materia Keeper is one of the few enemies that can use Trine, it comes highly recommended that you have a Enemy Skill materia equipped so that you can learn this enemy technique. You'll get a Jem Ring should you be victorious. _________________________________________________________________________ After the battle is over, examine the purple materia that is left behind in order to take it (Counter). Then follow the path outside--it leads back to the World Map. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.18 the inventor ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Power Source, Yoshiyuki, Drill Arm, Edincoat. Head southwest, then turn north (you're making a big C around the mountains). Keep walking and you'll see Rocket Town up ahead. In the Accessory Shop, you'll recieve a message if you go to the left end of the counter and examine it (anyone know what it means?) If you go into the house farthest to the right, you can find a chest with a Power Source inside of it in next to the stove. Then talk to the old man standing near the house that's just left of the rocket's launch pad. Talk to him again, and he'll ask you a question. Pick the top answer and the view will pan up to show the rocket. Then the old geezer will give you the Yoshiyuki; it's a weapon for Cloud. Go into the house to the right of the old man. This is the home of Shera and Cid, although neither of them are around at the moment. There's a chest here with a Drill Arm inside it. If you go out the back entrance, you'll find a light airplane in the backyard--it's one of Cid's inventions, the 'Tiny Bronco'. After looking at the airplane, Shera will show up. When she leaves, go outside and head north to arrive at the rocket--climb inside it to find Cid. After chatting with him, name him. You can then ask him several questions; you have to at least ask the first one (top choice) in order to proceed with the game. Then leave the rocket and return to Cid's house. Shera will show up, then Cid, too. After Cid goes out back, Shera will explain how Cid was going to pilot his rocket into outer space some time ago, but aborted the launch when he discovered that Shera was still making last- minute checks and hadn't left the launch pad yet; she would be burned to ashes since the launch could only be aborted, not delayed. By saving her life, Cid's dreams were shattered, since he did not have the resources to repair the rocket, which tipped over after falling back onto the launch pad. Cid comes back into the house, then Palmer shows up--an employee of Shinra. Go outside and you'll run into Rufus and a Shinra guard, who have come to 'borrow' the Tiny Bronco. After Shera brings you back inside the house, go out the back entrance to find Palmer standing atop the Tiny Bronco. Talk to him and he'll attack you. _________________________________________________________________________ BOSS TIPS: PALMER LV: 38 HP: 6000 MP: 240 His Mako Gun causes a fair amount of damage since it has the effects of Fire 2, Ice 2, and Bolt 2, so make sure Aeris is in your party (for her Healing Wind ability) or that you have some Restore Materia. Use Haste and All on your party as well as Slow magic and/or Summon Chocobo on him to even the odds a bit. You'll want to have Cloud's B2/2 by now--it comes in handy. Your prize for beating Palmer is an Edincoat. _________________________________________________________________________ After the boss gets wasted (he's not dead, though) your party and Cid will escape on the Tiny Bronco. Although it gets damaged during your flight, it can still be used to skim across shallow water and traverse rivers (although you can't go up or down waterfalls). Here are the airplane controls: X Exit airplane O Enter airplane Select/Start World Map (press repeatedly to enlarge/hide map) L1/R1 Rotate view (or return to side view if in overhead view) L2/R2 Change view You now have several options that are available to you: you can get Aeris' Level 4 Limit Break manual (see section 8 for details) or go on Yuffie's sub-quest (if you have her in your party, see section 6 for further information). Even if you don't have Yuffie, you can purchase some pretty good weapons and find some treasure chests lying around in Wutai, so you may want to stop there anyways. You can even go back and kill Midgar Zolom, if you've been itching to do so (you'll now have enough HPs to learn the enemy skill 'Beta' from it without dying). In any case, it would be a good idea to explore other areas and pick up items you missed/buy stuff you couldn't afford before instead of continuing on your quest just yet. I would suggest checking out Bone Village, to the north, since you can pick up the powerful 'Summon Kjata' materia there as well as buy some useful bracelets and items. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.19 betrayal ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Protect Vest, Choco Feather, Elixir. Pilot the Tiny Bronco back to the Gold Saucer area. Go to the weapon smith's house on the peninsula near the desert and talk to him--he'll explain that you need the Keystone, which he no longer has. Get back in Cid's airplane, and leave it on the shore by the desert. You need to get to the Golden Saucer, so either walk or find a wild Chocobo and ride it back to North Corel. Then take the ropeway up to the Gold Saucer. Go to the Battle Square and look for an opening on the right side of the room labled 'Dio's Show Room'. Inside, examine the glittering object on top of the large stand; it's the Keystone. Dio, the big lug who threw you out of the Gold Saucer before, will show up and offer you a challenge: fight in the Battle Square and he'll give you the Keystone. When you have a choice, pick the top option to accept or the bottom option to temporarily decline. You'll now have to fight in the Battle Square using only Cloud. Keep in mind that even if you lose the very first battle, Dio will still give you the Keystone. If you want to try and see if you can win all the battles, then keep fighting. After each battle, the message 'GREAT!' will appear, followed by two options. Choose the right option to stop fighting, or the left option to continue fighting. If you choose to continue, a jackpot-like device will appear. You can stop it from spinning by pressing the O button, and whatever comes up when you press O will take affect prior to the start of the next battle. Depending on what you get, different things will happen to you, although certain accessories can render you immune to some of the more debilitating effects. Furthermore, the status ailments that you are afflicted with as a result of the jackpot stay with you from battle to battle, and you're forced to stop the jackpot after each battle, so you could end up being a poisoned, petrified frog in a few rounds, if you're not careful. If you last through seven battles, then the fighting ends. Refer to 'Having Fun' (Sec. 7.6) for a complete explanation of how the Battle Square works, but keep in mind that although you will earn Battle Points during the battle, they are reset to zero when the battle ends since you end up in the Show Room (and the way things work you lose all the Battle Points you earn if you leave the main room at any time). Should you make it through all the battles, Dio will give you a Protect Vest and a Choco Feather, in addition to the Keystone. There's nothing else you need to do at the Gold Saucer now, but when you try to leave, you'll discover that the ropeway that the sky lift travels up and down is broken, leaving you stranded in the Saucer. Cait Sith will either show up (or leave your party, if he's already with you guys) and suggest that you all meet him at the Ghost Hotel. At the Hotel, you and your allies will chat for awhile. In the next scene, you'll find yourself in your room. At this point in the game, a character will come into your room and ask to go on a date with you. While it's usually Aeris, you can go on a date with Tifa, Yuffie, or even Barret. Chances are, your date will be with Aeris, because if you are nice to her even once, you're stuck with her. I was trying to get Yuffie to go with me and was mean to everyone but her, and I still got stuck with Tifa. If anyone out there knows how to get Tifa or Barret consitently and would like to share the method with me, I'd happily add it to the FAQ. For now though, you can thank two resourceful contributors for this step-by step guide to getting Yuffie as your date. Keep in mind that it's based on the Japanese version of the game, so the conversations/events may seem a little different. Also credit is also given to the original writer of this guide, since it was translated from Japanese into English: THE GUIDE TO DATING YUFFIE originally written by ???? translated by Case (coxon@netspace.net.au) edited by Yasha (shinra_company@hotmail.com, vucht@eisa.net.au) thanks to Mooncalf (McLeodM@msn.com) Everyone likes Yuffie, the 14 year old ninja with spunk. Finally, you can do the ultimate (clean) fantasy - you can date Yuffie! But then half the fun of slaving through the guide is the fact that you can kick dirt in Aeris and Tifa's face, call them worthless, irresponsible and ugly, and they'll STILL like you in the end! So here we go: DISCLAIMER This was originally taken from a Japanese guide, but has been translated and edited for the English version. Also credit is given to the original writer of this guide, whomever he may be. The original writer, translater and editor will not claim responsibility if you read through this guide and it essentially destroys the first half of the game. I've dated Yuffie, obviously, so it can be done, however, I suggest you play the game 'straight' first, as some key parts are missed (Honey Bee Inn, talk with Zack's parents). This is best followed when you play through a second time. GENERAL TIPS FOR DATING YUFFIE Always try to have Red 13 and Barret in your party before getting Yuffie. After getting Yuffie, make sure she's always the second character, unless specified otherwise, (like when a character insists on joining you). The third character can be anybody but one of the girls (unless specified otherwise). - When you talk to allies, always talk to Yuffie first. - If you're in doubt when making choices, remember the object is of getting Tifa/Aeris's favour of you down (that is, be nasty to them), and getting Yuffie's favour of you up. - Finally, make sure the Cover materia is always equipped on Cloud when Yuffie's in your party, so that he can protect her. - Below is what choices you need to make to date Yuffie - don't be daunted by the number of instructions. And note that skipping out on a minor choice or two is fine, but watch for the major ones. Good luck dating Yuffie! 1. When you first meet Aeris after the bombing mission and she asks, 'What happened?', tell her, 'Nothing has. Listen..' 2. Then 'Nevermind.' 3. When she asks if Cloud would like a flower, say 'Forget it.' 4. Talk to Jessie in the train a few times, then choose 'I'll be waiting'. 5. In front of 7th Heaven, don't talk to Barret a second time. 6. When Tifa asks 'Did you fight with Barret?' say 'Not this time'. 7. Talk to Biggs. When he comments about the food, say 'Yeah, why not.' 8. Talk to Wedge, and choose to drink with him. 9. When you talk to Tifa at the bar, say 'I don't feel like talking.' 10. In the Avalanche hideout, after talking to Barret and then talking to Tifa, choose '....sorry.' 11. Then, when Tifa asks, 'Did you sleep well?' say 'Barret's snoring kept me up.' 12. When Barret asks about using materia, say 'Okay, I'll explain it.' 13. In Johnny's house, when you talk to his father a third time and he asks about Cloud's hometown, say 'Who cares!' not 'Nibelheim..' 14. When you're in the train to attack the second mako reactor, Jessie asks 'Do I look good in Shinra uniform?' say, 'Yeah..' 15. when falling from bridge, say to Tifa, 'I mightn't be able to make it,' not 'I don't think I can hold on.' 16. When Aeris asks 'do you remember me?', say 'Never seen you before.' 17. When Aeris says 'I've got a lot of things to tell you,' don't say 'Okay, I'll listen,' instead say, 'there's nothing to talk about. 18. When Reno enters and Aeris says, 'Ignore him,' talk to Reno. 19. When Aeris is attacked, and she says 'Cloud, help me,' say, 'Wait a minute', and drop all the wrong barrels. 20. At Aeris's house, when Aeris asks if Tifa is your girlfriend, say, 'Yes, that's right'. 21. At the park, when Aeris says, 'I don't want to go home,' say 'I'll take you to 7th Heaven'. 22. Don't go to the Honey Inn in the wall market, and try to make Aeris be chosen (only three dress-up items). 23. When in Don Corneo's house, say when you save Tifa, 'We've gotta save Aeris!' 24. In the sewer after the boss, talk to Aeris then Tifa. 25. When you talk to Marlene at Aeris's house, and she asks, 'Is Aeris your girlfriend?' say 'I don't know.' 26. In front of the Shinra building, say, 'Let's bust on in!' 27. At the 61st floor, talk to the guy who has keycard to the 62nd floor, and say first, 'Where's Aeris?' then, '....'. 28. At 68th floor, when you first save Aeris and you get to choose who takes Aeris away, say 'Tifa, I'm counting on you.' 29. In jail, talk to Red XIII first, 30. then talk to Barret, 31. then talk to Aeris, 32. then talk to Tifa. When Tifa says, 'Can you get us out of here,' don't choose 'Leave it to me,' choose 'It'll be difficult.' 33. And then go to sleep. 34. Before the bike race, in your party to fight that bulldozer boss, have Red and Barret in your party. 35. Talk to Red first when you escape. 36. Then talk to Barret, and say 'I'm not sure.' 37. Then when talking to Tifa and Aeris, say 'The journey's going to be dangerous, are you sure you still want to go?' 38. Now have Red and Barret in your party until past the Mithril cave. 39. In the Kalm flashblack, say you did go into Tifa's house. 40. Say you did go into Tifa's room, 41. Say you looked at Tifa's letter on desk 42. Say you read it. 43. Say you remember it very well. 44. Look at the drawers, and then say 'Yes, I really did look in your drawers.' 45. After the flashback, when you talk to Barret about him wanting to go off and fight now, say 'Is that all?' 46. After going through Mythril mine, go and get Yuffie straight away (before going to Junon). It helps if you're at a high level, and remember, this is based on luck, so use any Luck Sources you may have. 47. In front of the Fort Condor, with PHS, make the members of the party, Aeris and Tifa. 48. After going inside, talk to the sitting guy, say 'Not interested' twice. 49. Go outside, and with PHS, make Yuffie and Red members. Then go in, talk to the same guy and say, 'Well, lets do it.' 50. After someone says in Fort Condor, 'Are you going to rest?' say 'I want to rest'. 51. In Junon, if you don't have any 'Tranquilizer', buy some. 52. In the cargo ship, talk to Yuffie, and she talks about 'Tranquilizers', say, 'I'll use it.' 53. When Aeris says, 'The Airship is wonderful, isn't it?' say 'I dunno,' not 'I'll let you on one day.' 54. Tifa says, 'I wish war'd disappear. Right, Cloud?', say 'I dunno.' 55. When you make up a party to fight first Jenova boss, use Yuffie and Red. 56. When you go to Costa del Sol, go to the beach and say, 'Hey, look at that girl in the bikini!', don't say, 'Hey that's Hojo!' 57. In the inn, talk to Aeris lying in her bed and when she says, 'What do you think of me?' say, 'Nothing much.' 58. Go house next to bar, talk to Tifa who's talking to Johnny, when she says, 'Don't worry', say 'I'm not worried.' 59. Talk to the person on Corel path. 60. At the save point on the Correl railway, with PHS, make members Tifa and Aeris. 61. Investigate the birds nest and say, 'Take the treasure.' 62. Straight away in North Correl, make a member change to Yuffie and Red. 63. In the talk before going on Ropeway to Gold Saucer, choose 'Let's get on.' 64. In the Gold Saucer, just talk to Yuffie and make her a part of the team. 65. In prison, because Barret must be in your party, make the party with Barret and Yuffie. 66. After the escape from prison, make the party Yuffie and Cait Sith. 67. At Gongaga, when with Reno and Rude, don't say 'Get outta my way,' say 'Sector 7?' 68. Listen to Scarlet and Tseng's conversation. 69. Go outside and change members to Aeris and Tifa. 70. Go to Zack's house, and when Aeris and Tifa leave you, ignore them and leave. 71. After out of Gongaga, make the party Yuffie and Red. 72. At Cosmo Canyon, talk to Yuffie (she's in the materia shop, surprise, surprise!) 73. In the Planetarium, put Yuffie and Cait Sith into the party. 74. When you're around the Cosmo Candle, talk in this order: Yuffie, Barret, Aeris, Tifa, Red. 75. In Gi clan's cave, make the party as Yuffie and Red. 76. At Nibelheim, make Vincent part of your party, and then talk to Sephiroth. 77. In the Rocket Town, when you get the Tiny Bronco, listen to Yuffie when she says, 'Lets go to the west (to Wutai).' 78. At Wutai, Yuffie takes your materia. At this time, although there'll be less members, do not replace Yuffie before she runs off. 79. After the battle with the Shinra Soldiers, choose your party between Vincent, Cait Sith, Cid, and Red. 80. At Wutai, when you've caught Yuffie, pull the left lever as she says. 81. Finish the Wutai events. 82. Try and beat the Pagoda. I managed to beat the four-face boss by using the ???? enemy skill, maxing her with HP Plus materia and keeping Yuffie just high enough so that she survives if he uses Beast Sword. 83. Then go to Gold Saucer, get the Keystone, and watch the date sequence begin! Congratulations! You should now date Yuffie! And remember, say SOMETHING! :) PS. You can actually 'date' Barret also. I haven't done this, but some people in Japan have. If you want to try this, I can't help you, except to perhaps do everything in this guide that hurts Tifa and Aeris and don't pick up Yuffie until the last possible minute. (back to the FAQ) It's likely that this guide could be used to date any character, if you replace Yuffie with (Aeris/Tifa/Barret) and make your choices accordingly, adjusting them for who you're trying to get. Anyway, once the date sequnce starts up, here's what to do: First, you'll go to the Event Square. Since you're the 100th person to come here that day, you and Aeris will be offered a role in the upcoming play. What you do here doesn't affect the game in any way, so just pick whatever options you'd like and watch one of the many humorous endings. If I wrote it out, it would ruin the fun, so.... Next, you'll ride the gondola in the Round Square. When your partner looks out the window, you can press left to look out, too, and see various FMV sequences showcasing the events at the Gold Saucer. After the date is over, Cloud and his date will return to the Station Square only to find Cait Sith sneaking around with the Keystone. He'll run away when Cloud yells at him, and you have to chase him around various sections of the Gold Saucer. (If you don't want to waste time doing that, then go to the Chocobo Square, enter it, and chase Cait Sith back outside). Eventually, Cait will stop at the steps outside of the Chocobo Square. The Shinra helicopter shows up, and Cait will toss the Keystone up to Tseng. When confronted by Cloud and your ally, Cait reveals that he is in fact a spy for the Shinra. He insists that he continues to travel with Cloud and his friends because he has taken Marlene as a hostage back in Midgar. Once Cait Sith leaves, you'll find yourself back in the Ghost Hotel. Check the iron maiden for an Elixir (notice the sound it makes; it sounds just like Norstein Bekkler's laugh [the guy from Chrono Trigger!]). Leave the room to meet up with your allies again. After a brief talk, Aeris will join your party, becoming a permanent member. Pick another ally and then leave the Saucer, since the ropeway is now repaired. Now that you're back at North Corel, leave and return where you parked the Tiny Bronco. Look at the World Map. See the tiny chain of islands near the bottom of the map? Just to the right of them and to the left of Mideel and the Fort Condor is a large island. If you go there, you'll see a large temple surrounded by a forest. This is your next destination, so land the Tiny Bronco at the shore and head to the temple. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.20 the temple of the ancients ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITEMS IN THIS AREA: Trident, Mind Source, Silver Rifle, Turbo Ether x2, Rocket Punch, Luck Plus materia, Morph materia, Princess Guard, Ribbon, Trumpet Shell, Megalixir, Nail Bat, Work Gloves, Dragon Armlet, Bahamut materia, Gigas Armlet. At the top of the temple is a black creature, similar to the ones you met in Nibelheim. If you talk to it, it floats into the air in a flash of light. Inside the temple, you'll find the Turk, Tseng. He was badly wounded by Sephiroth. He gives you the Keystone so that you can go after his attacker; examine the dais in the center of the room and you'll be transported into the depths of the temple. This area has a very confusing layout; it's a mass of stairs, walkways and passages. There are chests everywhere, and a kooky old man in a blue robe is also running around down here. From where you arrived, head up, then left, then up again and go down the stairs to the ground level. There's an opening just above you; go in it, turn to the right, then climb down the vines clinging to the wall beneath you. If you run underneath the long staircase nearby, you can reach a treasure chest that has a Trident inside of it. From there, head right, go down the stairs, then turn and climb up the wall using the vines. Head past the opening (which you can't enter at this point, anyway) and go up the stairs. The old man will dash away; ignore him for now and climb up the vines to reach a platform. There's a shiny pink item here (Mind Source). Take it and go down the stairs, then enter the door to your left to find a room with a treasure chest and the old man. Inside the chest is the Silver Rifle. Talk to the geezer twice and he'll offer his services to you: - Purchase Items - Restore HP and MP to maximum - Save your game* - Nothing * Choose the top option to decline or the bottom option to accept and save your game. Outside, go back up the stairs and down the vines, but this time, head down and to the left. You can pick up a green item here (Turbo Ether). Then go down the long stairway. At the bottom, climb down the smaller set of steps to your left, then work your way towards the southwest corner of the screen. There's a small patch of vines here that you can climb down. Be sure to open the nearby chest; there's a Rocket Punch inside of it. Now, go down the stairs and walk northeast along the path to find some more vines and the old man, who scampers away when you get too close. Climb up the vines, then go up the stairs next to you, go through the archway, turn east and go down the stairs, and climb up the long stretch of vines on the nearby wall. Head left, underneath the staircase, and you can nab a purple materia (Luck Plus). Now, go back the way you came (go right, down the vines, up the stairs and down and out through the archway so that you're back on the path that the old man was standing on, just above the vines). Walk to the east until the path stops, then head south and turn east again to enter the nearby door. As you enter, the old man will dash away. There are huge hollow boulders that are rolling down this walkway. To get past them, time your dashes so that the hollow part will be directly over you, causing Cloud to kneel as the boulder rolls over you. Then keep going until you reach a side path that leads to a pool of water. Grab the Morph materia near the pool, then continue along the walkway, avoiding the boulders. Once you reach the end of the path, they'll disappear for good, but remember that if you get hit by a boulder, you'll be dragged all the way back to the beginning of the path (ouch!) Alternately, you can wait until the boulders disappear and then go back and pick up the materia after the sequence with Sephiroth. Once the boulders are gone, Aeris will sense a powerful prescence in the chamber and return to the pool. Light will erupt from the surface of the pool, and you'll be able to see what I presume is a flashback of Tseng and Elena (both Turks) running around in the shrine. After Elena leaves, Sephiroth shows up and creates a double of himself. While he busies himself with attacking Tseng, the laughing double flies up into the air. After this sequence is over, Sephiroth's double will descend into the pool and then fly away. When you return to the end of the passage, the old geezer will be waiting for you, and will once again offer his help: - Restore HP and MP to maximum - Save your game - Nothing When you're ready, go down the stairs. There's a huge room here with twelve doors labeled I to XII. In the center of the room is the ever- annoying talking clock. In the Japanese version of FF7, this puzzle was very tricky and I had a whole section written on it. But in the US version, it's a simple matter of moving the clock hands around; so I won't bother with it. There are twelve passages (labeled I to XII), and you get to explore them by setting the clock to various positions. Here's a list of what'