Final Fantasy 7--Guide

START: Toggle World Map display
SELECT: Display/hide current position pointer & exit indicators
L1/R1: HOLD + Move = Turn left/right/(World Map: Rotate camera angle counterclockwise/clockwise)
L2 or R2: (World Map: Change point of view)
D-button: Move character/cursor
T: Open Menu Screen
O: Talk/Examine/Action/Confirm
X: Cancel/HOLD + Move = Run

L1/R1: Cycle through characters/Move scroll bar up/down
D-button: Move cursor
T: Remove
O: Confirm
X: Cancel/Close Menu Screen
S: Toggle Materia menu/Equip menu

START: Pause
SELECT: Toggle help window on/off
L1/R1: Select single/multiple target(s)/L1 + R1 = Escape
R2: Toggle target indicator on/off
D-button: Move cursor
T: Skip character
O: Confirm
X: Cancel
S: HOLD = Hide Command window

After you arrive at Sector 1 Station, examine the knocked-out guards to find two POTIONS and follow the others off the platform. Meet the team at the north gate and follow them through Sector 1 and into the reactor. Talk to Biggs and Jessie and they'll open the security doors. Take the near hallway and open the chest on the opposite side of the room to find a PHOENIX DOWN. Talk to Jessie at the elevator, get in, and push the button to go down. Exit and proceed through the facility. Pick up the POTION on the catwalk in front of Jessie's post and head for the core. Pick up the RESTORE MATERIA on the lowest walkway and approach the reactor to set the bomb. Defeat Guard Scorpion and escape before the bomb explodes (10:00 minutes). On your way out, help Jessie free her leg stuck in the catwalk and proceed to the security doors. Talk to Jessie and Biggs and they'll open the doors. Head for the exit and the bomb will detonate.

When the team splits up, take the far stairs and speak with the Flower Girl*. Follow her into the square and pick up the POTION on the ground on the near-left side of the fountain. Proceed to the street and you'll encounter a group of soldiers. No matter how you deal with them, you'll ultimately jump from the ledge onto a passing train and be reunited with the team. Follow them to the passenger car and talk to everyone. Once you disembark at Sector 7 Station, follow the team into the Sector 7 Slums and talk to Barret in front of the bar (7th Heaven). Go inside and speak with Tifa, then head for the door. After Barret enters, ride the pinball machine to the basement and approach him to start the meeting. Head upstairs and speak with Tifa and Barret.

Guard Scorpion: Your strongest attacks will be Limit Breaks and Lightning magic. If you want an extra advantage, spend some time battling Grunts and Sweepers on the lowest walkway before you set the bomb. Fight until your Limit gauge fills then finish the last battle using Magic (or Defend and attack with the other character). When Guard Scorpion attacks, you'll be able to begin with at least one Limit Break. Hit the machine with Barret's attack and Cloud's Bolt until it shudders and raises its tail. As Cloud warns, attacking it in this state will cause it to counter with its very strong Tail Laser attack. Use this time to restore your HP if necessary and wait for Guard Scorpion to resume its normal stance before you continue your attack. [ASSAULT GUN]

Flower Girl: Throughout the game, Cloud's actions will increase or decrease the affinity other characters have for him, which in turn influences the development of the story. The first decision having such an impact comes during your conversation with the Flower Girl in Sector 8. By taking a moment to talk to her and buy a flower, you'll be taking the first step toward building friendships... and possibly more.

Head upstairs and talk to Tifa and Barret. Before you head for Sector 7 Station, consider taking the time to explore the slums and go shopping*. Meet the team at the platform and board the train. When the alarm goes off, evade security by moving from one car to the next before lock down.

Before you leave the first car, talk to the man in the far-right corner and he'll give you a PHOENIX DOWN. On your way through the second car, talk to the man in the near-left corner and he'll give you a HI-POTION. In the third car, a man will pick your pocket as you pass him. Run him down and talk to him to recover your property. When you reach the last car, talk to Tifa and you'll jump from the train, landing in the tunnel outside Sector 4. Head for the far end until you reach the security sensor. Enter the duct on the left and proceed through Sector 4. You'll find an ETHER in the first area, a POTION near Jessie's post, and a TENT on the walkway to the right of Biggs. Climb the ladder to enter the Sector 5 Reactor.

Take the slide on the right and head for the core of the reactor. Set the bomb and head for the exit in the same manner you left the No. 1 Reactor. When you reach the security doors, open the nearby chest to find an ETHER and go to the control room to the left.

Press the button simultaneously with Barret and Tifa and proceed toward the exit. After your encounter with President Shinra, defeat Air Buster.

When you come to, talk to Aeris until you're interrupted by Reno of the Turks. Head for the roof of the church. When Aeris falls, help her escape from Reno's troops and proceed through a hole in the roof and across the debris to the Sector 5 Slum. Head left and proceed through the slum to Aeris's House, located beyond the far-right corner of the residential area. Explore the near garden to the right of the house and pick up the ETHER and COVER MATERIA. Go inside and head upstairs to rest. When you wake up, open the package near the door to find a POTION and a PHOENIX DOWN and sneak downstairs without alerting Aeris. Head back through the Sector 5 Slum and you'll run into Aeris near the entrance to Sector 6. Make your way across the destroyed road until you reach the park. Talk to Aeris and follow her into Wall Market.

Air Buster: During this battle, you'll have Air Buster surrounded. Your assault will be most potent if you target its back. Begin by attacking with a party member standing behind the machine (you may have to skip characters [T] to do so). A strike will cause Air Buster to turn, facing its attacker, and launch a strong counterattack. Follow up with continuous back attacks. Limit Breaks and Lightning magic are especially effective. When Air Buster loses its ability to turn, you'll know victory is near. [TITAN BANGLE]

Shopping Guide: Visit the Sector 7 Item Store in the near-left corner of the sector and you'll have your first chance to obtain FIRE MATERIA @ 600 Gil. Head for the Sector 7 Weapon Shop next door for your first chance to obtain IRON BANGLES @ 160 Gil. Beginner's Hall: Take the stairs at the back of the Weapon Shop to get to the second floor and enter the Beginner's Hall. Talk to the man on the left and the Beginners inside the cage to see an extensive array of Tutorials. On your way out, pick up the ALL MATERIA in front of the person in the near-right corner. When the chest drops down, open it to find an ETHER.

When you first arrive at Wall Market, consider taking the time to explore and go shopping*. When you're ready, go to the Honey Bee Inn, located beyond the lower-right corner of the market. Talk to the man to the left of the doorman and ask about Tifa. He'll tell you she's been taken to Don Corneo's Mansion. Head for the mansion, located at the opposite end of Wall Market, and talk to the doorman. You'll discover males are strictly prohibited from entering the mansion. Disguise yourself as a woman*, return to the mansion, and talk to the doorman again. Go upstairs and take the door on the left to find Tifa in the Torture Room. Talk to her, pick up the ETHER on the left side of the room, and head back up the stairs. Take the middle door and approach Don Corneo. Once Don Corneo selects his companion, confront him in his chamber*. Pick up the HYPER behind the bed and head out.

Shopping Guide: Visit the Weapon Store across from the Bar in the upper half of the market and you'll have your first chance to obtain the MYTHRIL ROD @ 370 Gil, the METAL KNUCKLE @ 320 Gil, and a MYTHRIL ARMLET @ 350 Gil.

Dressing up like a girl: Head for the Boutique, located in the upper-left corner of the lower half of the market, and talk to the girl behind the counter. She'll tell you the dress-maker is in a slump and spends his days getting plastered. Head for the Bar, the first building on the left in the upper half of the market, and talk to the man sitting on the right side of the room. Ask for something that feels clean and he'll make a COTTON DRESS. Ask for something soft and shiny and he'll make a SATIN DRESS. Ask for something that feels soft and shimmers and he'll make a SILK DRESS. Return to the Boutique and talk to the owner. He'll give you the dress and send you to his friend at the gym (the first building on the right in the upper half of the market) to get a wig. Talk to the person standing in the center of the room and compete in a squatting contest. Lose and Big Bro will give you a nasty WIG, tie and he'll give you a DYED WIG, win and he'll give you a BLONDE WIG. With a dress and a wig in hand, you'll have everything you need to gain admittance to Don Corneo's Mansion. However, if you're bent on being the girl with the most cake and the promise of all the sometimes shockingly adult things Wall Market has to offer entices you, you'll want to add further embellishments to your costume. Or, from a chivalrous and (cough cough) strictly masculine point of view, Don Corneo will take into his boudoir whomever he finds most attractive. If you feel compelled to spare the ladies such an ordeal, you'll have to take one for the team, Bubby. Head for the Materia Store, located in the upper-right corner of the lower half of the market, and talk to the owner. He'll ask you to perform a little corporate espionage. Agree and spend the night at the Inn, the building nearest the south gate. When you go to the vending machine, make a purchase and give it to the owner of the Materia Store the next morning. Trading the 50 Gil item will get you the GLASS TIARA, the 100 Gil item will get you the RUBY TIARA, and the 200 Gil item will get you the DIAMOND TIARA. If you barged in on the toilet hog in the far-left corner of the Bar, you know she's in desperate need of medicine. To help her out, head for the Diner, located between the Boutique and the Materia Store. Sit down at the vacant stool and order any meal for 70 Gil. Tell the server it was all right and she'll give you the PHARMACY COUPONS. Go to the Pharmacy, the next building to the south, and talk to the Pharmacist. You can redeem the coupon for DISINFECTANT, DEODORANT or DIGESTIVE. Return to the Bar and give the distressed woman your medicine. If you give her Disinfectant, she'll give you COLOGNE. If you give her Deodorant, she'll give you FLOWER COLOGNE. If you give her Digestive, she'll give you SEXY COLOGNE. Your final destination will be the infamous Honey Bee Inn. Talk to the indecisive man pacing in the lower-right corner of the lower half of the market and he'll give you his MEMBER'S CARD. Head right and talk to the doorman to get in. Choose one of the unoccupied rooms on the left side of the room and enter. If you take the Group Room, Mukki will give you the BIKINI BRIEFS. If you take the &$#% Room, talk to the Honey Bee before she leaves and she'll give you the LINGERIE. For an extra touch, go to the dressing room beyond the far door in the lobby, talk to the Honey Bee on the left, and ask her to do your make-up. When you're finished, head for the Boutique and enter the fitting room to get changed.

Corneo's choice: If you're selected, you'll be taken directly to the bedroom. If you aren't selected, you'll be taken to the adjacent lounge room and subjected to the advances of Corneo's men. Talk to Scotch to reveal yourself and defeat your attackers. Pick up the PHOENIX DOWN in the near-right corner and head for the door. If Aeris was chosen, you'll meet up with Tifa in the hallway. If Tifa was chosen, you'll have to rescue Aeris from Kotch in the Torture Room before heading for the Don's chamber.

After your plunge into the Sewer, make sure Tifa and Aeris are okay. Defeat Aps and pick up the POTION on the left end of the near walkway. Head for the open grate in the far-right corner and grab the STEAL MATERIA on the near walkway before jumping down. Climb the ladder and make your way through the Train Graveyard* to reach the Sector 7 Slums. Head for the top of the plate support, talk to Barret, and defeat Reno of the Turks. Talk to Tifa and examine the control panel. Talk to Barret and grab onto the wire to escape.

From the park in Sector 6, head toward the Sector 5 Slum until Barret and Tifa catch up with you. Return to the park and pick up the SENSE MATERIA in the near-right corner before proceeding to Aeris's House. After speaking with Elmyra, head for Wall Market*. Go to the Weapon Store, speak to the man on the left, and purchase the BATTERIES for 300 Gil. Head toward Corneo Hall and follow the children to the right. Climb the wire and make your way through the wreckage* to reach the Shinra Building.

Aps: Aps frequently attacks using the Sewer Tsunami, a large wave that damages not only your entire party but Aps as well. The wave will come at you from either the front or the back. When coming from behind Aps, it does considerably greater harm to Aps than to you. Its Lick attack can inflict Sadness. If Cloud has learned the Cross-slash Limit Break, you should use it whenever it becomes available. It'll be your strongest attack and it usually paralyzes the beast. Consider using a Hyper on Cloud to make his Limit gauge fill more rapidly. Hammer away with attacks and magic until Aps submits. [PHOENIX DOWN] Reno: Reno employs a range of fairly strong attacks, but with a three against one advantage you should have little to fear as long as you keep your HP relatively high. His signature move is the Pyramid attack, encasing a single opponent in a pyramid that holds its target in complete stasis, temporarily eliminating that character from battle. When this occurs, immediately free the prisoner by using a physical attack against the pyramid. [ETHER]

Navigating the Train Graveyard: Enter the nearest train car, exit at the opposite end, and examine the barrel to find a HI-POTION. Return to the entrance to the Sewer and climb to the top of the car to pick up another HI-POTION. Cross to the next car, head left along the smashed crane, and examine the barrel in the upper-left corner to find an ECHO SCREEN. Go through the gap between the two cars, enter the car to the right, and pick up the POTION. Exit at the near end and climb to the top of the opposite car, cross to the next car, climb down and enter the car, exit at the far end of the next car, and pick up another POTION. Head into the next section, pass under the aloft car, and go left and into the lower area to pick up a third POTION. Walk around the wreckage to the left into the lower-left area and examine the barrel to find an ETHER. Return to the central area and board the nearest engine to push the nearby car to the left. Board the far engine to move it to the left and climb to the top of the adjacent car to pick up a third HI-POTION. Jump onto the far engine, head left across the wreckage to the next car, and climb down and proceed to the Sector 7 Slums. (Before you leave the Graveyard, consider taking the time to hunt down an Eligor. It's quite rare and a formidable opponent, but you can steal the STRIKING STAFF from it if you're extremely persistent.) En route: As you pass through the Sector 5 Slum on your way to the surface, stop by the house in the lower-right corner and talk to the boy on the second floor. If you resisted the urge to pinch the 5 Gil from his dresser drawer earlier, he'll give you a TURBO ETHER. At Wall Market, you'll have a second chance to explore Corneo's mansion and pick up any items you may have missed during your recent visit. You'll also find that the Materia Store, at last, has Materia for sale. Climbing the wreckage: At the top of the wire, jump left and cross under the wire, jump to the right, and place the first battery to activate the propeller. Jump up and across the propeller, jump left onto the train tracks and place the second battery to activate the gate. Cross the gate, climb to the top of the cable, and jump onto the bar (just as it starts to squeak). Scale the pipe to the next area and climb the cable to the left. Climb down and place the last battery to find an ETHER. Climb down the left-most pipe, jump to the bar again, and return to the ledge above the battery. Climb up and across the cable and scale the pipe to reach the Shinra Building.

If you prefer to 'bust on in,' head straight through the front door and into the lobby. You'll have to fight your way to the elevator at the back and you'll face random battles as you ride it to the 59th floor. On the other hand, if you'd rather 'sneak in quietly,' head left and take the stairs. You'll be climbing for an extremely long time, but you'll find an ELIXIR near the half-way mark.

[59f]:
Approach the men guarding the elevator on the right side of the floor and defeat them to receive KEYCARD 60. Board the elevator, examine the control panel, and head for the next floor.

[60f]:
Head for the room on the left and the group will split up. Your objective will be to reach the stairs on the opposite side of the floor without alerting the guards. If you get caught, you'll be forced to fight and you'll have to start over. Enter the main area and sneak past the first set of guards using the statues as cover. (They patrol in a set pattern: move left, switch places, move right, switch places. Move to the middle statue as they move right, then break right as soon as they turn to move left.) Signal the others, slip by the second set of guards to reach the stairs, and head for the next floor.

[61f]:
Talk to the employees walking around in the lounge and one of them will ask you what you're doing here. Respond with silence and he'll give you KEYCARD 62, then head for the next floor.

[62f]:
Head for the Mayor's Office on the left side of the floor and talk to Mayor Domino. He'll promise to give you his keycard if you can guess the password. Hart, the Deputy Mayor, stands outside the office. Talk to him and he'll sell you three clues. He'll tell you that in each of the four Research Libraries on this floor a file from another library is mixed in and finding the mislaid files will be the key to figuring out the password. Examine the plaque outside each library and read the files within to determine which file doesn't belong. Take the number at the beginning of each misplaced file and find the corresponding letter in its title. When you have all four letters, return to Mayor Domino and give him the password. If you guess correctly, he'll give you KEYCARD 65. If you do so on the first try, he'll also give you an ELEMENTAL MATERIA. At this point, you may elect to proceed directly to the 65th floor. However, by exploring the next two floors, you'll have the opportunity to acquire a few fantastic items.

[63f]:
Enter the room in the near-right corner and examine the computer. You'll be given authorization to open three security doors at a time. Exit and circle the perimeter of the floor counterclockwise until a door on the far side blocks your path. Open it and proceed to the left door on the near side of the next section of hallway. Open it and enter the room on the left to find the A COUPON. Climb into the air-duct and crawl to the right-middle room and pick up the B COUPON. Exit, proceed to the door in the near-left corner of the next section of hallway, and open it. Enter the next room to find the C COUPON. Return to the computer via the ductwork and redeem your coupons for a STAR PENDANT, a FOUR SLOTS, and an ALL MATERIA.

[64f]:
You may wish to rest and save your game in the nap room in the near-left corner. Examine the vending machine in the far-left corner of the main gym and try to purchase a Shinra Gym Special Drink @ 250 Gil. You won't receive a thing, but you'll be rewarded later in the game. Head for the locker room on the far side of the floor and examine the lockers to find a PHOENIX DOWN and an ETHER.

[65f]:
The keycard for the next floor is in the locked chest in the stairwell. The chest will unlock when you complete the large model of Midgar located in the middle room. You'll find the missing MIDGAR PARTS in the five remaining chests located in the surrounding rooms. At first, only the chest on the near side of the middle-left room will be unlocked. Open it to find the first piece and place it in any of the unfinished areas of the model. Each time you do so, you'll be allowed to open any one of the remaining chests. When all the parts have been installed, open the chest in the stairwell to find KEYCARD 66 and head for the next floor.

[66f]:
Head directly to the bathroom in the far-left corner of the floor and enter the stall. Climb up into the air-duct and crawl to the opposite end to eavesdrop on the Conference Room. When the executive meeting concludes, back out of the ductwork and follow Hojo up the stairs to the next floor.

[67f]:
Follow Hojo to the large area on the left half of the floor and listen in on his instructions. Open the chest in the far right corner of the room to find a POISON MATERIA and take the nearby lift to the next floor.

[68f]:
Defeat Sample:H0512 and grab the ENEMY SKILL MATERIA that falls into the specimen tank. Take the ramp up to the catwalk and pick up the two POTIONS in the near-right corner. Talk to Hojo's assistant and he'll give you KEYCARD 68. Follow him as he flees and he'll lead you past two more POTIONS in the next area. Proceed to the stairwell and meet the others in the elevator on the 66th floor.

Sample:H0512: This nasty-looking creature can cause Poison. If you picked up the Star Pendant on the 63rd floor, make sure you equip it. If you have both Poison and Elemental Materia, equip them in linked slots in the armor of one of your party members.

Sample:H0512-opt.
It has the ability to revive them should they fall, so it's best to ignore them and focus on

Sample:H0512.
As your target will always be in the back row, Magic and Limit Breaks will be the most effective (if Barret is in your party, attacking with his long range weapon will also prove useful). You may wish to begin by sending your entire party to the back row for protection. Attack relentlessly. If you're tempted to use an Antidote, know that it's probably a waste. Your character will be poisoned again soon enough. Just maintain your HP and keep attacking. [TALISMAN]

On the upper floors, be on the lookout for Moth Slashers as you can steal CARBON BANGLES from them. Also, if you encounter a SOLDIER:3rd, make sure you steal the HARDEDGE.

Approach the cell door to check on the others, then get some sleep. When you wake up, leave your cell and examine the guard's body. Wake Tifa, follow her out, and talk to her. Gather the team and meet Red XIII in the large area on the left half of the floor. Follow the trail of blood to the 70th floor and approach the President's desk. Take the door on the far side of the room and the group will split up. Redistribute your Materia and head for the elevator. Defeat Hundred Gunner and Heli Gunner. Redistribute your Materia again and defeat Rufus and Dark Nation. Meet Tifa on the 69th floor, then head for the front door.

Prepare for the upcoming battle with Motor Ball and defend the truck from the Shinra Pursuit Troops*. Defeat Motor Ball and say goodbye to Midgar.

Hundred Gunner & Heli Gunner: Both enemies are weak against Lightning; equip as many characters as possible with Lightning Materia. Heli Gunner's attacks can cause a variety of status effects, including Sleep and Poison. Make sure you equip a member of your party with the Star Pendant. During this battle, only long-range attacks such as Magic, Limit Breaks and Barret's weapon will prove effective. Cast Bolt repeatedly and keep your HP up. [MYTHRIL ARMLET] Rufus & Dark Nation: Dark Nation can cast protective magic and uses physical and strong Lightning-based attacks. Equip the Talisman and use [Lightning]-[Elemental] in Cloud's armor. Bio seems particularly effective and can cause Poison; consider equipping [Poison]-[All]. Begin by eliminating Dark Nation, then turn your attention to Shinra's son. If Dark Nation managed to establish a Barrier in front of Rufus, use attack magic to send the new President packing. [PROTECT VEST + GUARD SOURCE]

Motor Ball: This machine uses several strong Fire-based attacks that can damage your entire party. Equip [Fire]-[Elemental] in the armor of one of your characters. Equip [Restore]-[All] on as many party members as possible and don't forget to equip the Protect Vest on someone. Motor Ball is weak against Lightning; attack repeatedly using Bolt. For those without Lightning Materia, use their strongest attacks and Limit Breaks whenever available. Keep your party's HP high and the battle should be over quickly. [STAR PENDANT]

Defending the truck: Orange bikes tend to head straight for the truck while red bikes tend to hang back in an effort to draw you away. The best

is to stay close behind the truck and pick off the bikers as they approach. Be patient and pursue enemies only if they're damaging the truck. If several bikers form a line, topple the lead bike and it should take out the others behind it. If you're having trouble with a lone red biker, try to pin it against the retaining wall, staying just ahead of it, and ease away from the truck. At a certain point, you'll be far enough away that the biker will attempt to pass you. Clothesline him with your sword as he tries to move past.

Head for the town of Kalm, to the northeast*. Meet everyone on the 2nd floor of the Inn and Cloud will divulge what he knows about Sephiroth:

When you first arrive at Nibelheim, the only things you must do are talk to Sephiroth on the 2nd floor of the Inn and get some sleep. But before you do, consider taking the time to explore. Make sure you visit Tifa's House, the second from the right. Go to her bedroom on the second floor and play her piano 'just a little.' Remember the tune; it will be the key to finding Tifa's Level 4 Limit Break later in the game. When you're done exploring, retire to the Inn. In the morning, talk to Sephiroth and head out for the Nibel Reactor. Follow Sephiroth into the core and help him make repairs. Find Sephiroth in the library in the basement of the Shinra Mansion*. After he speaks, leave the room. When you wake up, head left, across the hall, and back down to the basement. Find Sephiroth in the room at the far end of the library and follow him out of the mansion. Go to the village square and check on Cloud's House. Head for the core of the Nibel Reactor and follow Sephiroth into Jenova's chamber.

Before you head downstairs, open the wardrobe in the far-left corner to find a MEGALIXIR you can't quite reach. Open the doors repeatedly until Cloud kicks the wardrobe and the item falls down. Meet the others at the front desk and you'll receive the PHS. Talk to the townspeople and you'll discover a man in black carrying an impressive sword was seen walking east. Before heading out, consider taking the time to visit each residence and go shopping*.

En route:
Consider taking the time to find a Custom Sweeper before you get too far away from Midgar. If you've equipped the Enemy Skill Materia, you'll learn your first Enemy Skill when the Custom Sweeper attacks you with its MATRA MAGIC. Secondly, you can steal the ATOMIC SCISSORS if you're persistent. Finding the library: Head up the stairs and to the right. Take the secret passage on the far side of the near-right room and descend the hidden steps. The library is located at the opposite end of the corridor.

Shopping and Visitor's Guide:
Stop by the house next to the Inn and open the closet in the far-right corner to find an ETHER. Enter the next house to the right, go upstairs, and open the wardrobe to find another ETHER. Go to the next house, take the stairs, and open the wardrobe to find a GUARD SOURCE. Return to the 1st floor, climb the spiral staircase in the far-left corner, and open the large chest to find the PEACEMAKER. Visit the right-most house in the main square and open the door under the stairs to find a third ETHER. Head for the upper concourse and enter the middle or right building to find the Materia and Weapon Stores. You'll have your first opportunity to obtain EARTH MATERIA @ 1500 Gil, HEAL MATERIA @ 1500 Gil, the MYTHRIL SABER @ 1000 Gil, the CANNON BALL @ 950 Gil, the MYTHRIL CLAW @ 750 Gil, and the FULL METAL STAFF @ 800 Gil.

At the heart of the Grasslands Area, you'll find Choco Bill & Choco Billy's Chocobo Farm. Enter the house and talk to Bill. He'll tell you a man in black went into the marshes to the southwest and the only way to cross the marshes without being attacked by the deadly Midgar Zolom is by riding a Chocobo. Though this isn't entirely true (a carefully timed dash will get you across on foot), it's probably better to take his advice and buy a Chocobo from his grandson. Head for the stables and talk to Billy. Unfortunately, he has none for sale and you'll have to catch your own. He'll sell you a CHOCOBO LURE MATERIA for 2000 Gil and send you back out to the Grasslands Area*. Before you leave the farm, talk to the Chocobo at the near end of the paddock and you'll receive the CHOCO/MOG MATERIA. Catch a Chocobo*, ride it across the marshes, and enter the Mythril Mine*. Go right and around the bend, climb the step-like rock formation on the right, pick up the ETHER, and open the large chest to find a TENT. Head back and climb the vines on the left wall to reach the ledge above and grab the LONG RANGE MATERIA. Return to the entrance, go left along the path, and open the chest on the near-right corner to find a MIND SOURCE. Head left and you'll encounter the Turks, who let it slip that Sephiroth is headed for Junon Harbor. Before climbing the roots and following them out, take the far path, open the chest to find an ELIXIR, and grab the HI-POTION on the far-right.

Fort Condor, a tall structure marked by the giant bird nesting on its crown, stands to the south. If you wish to help its inhabitants wage their war against Shinra, head for the base of the mountain and take part in this Optional Quest. You also have the option of adding a new member to your party by scouring the forests for the Mystery Ninja (a.k.a. Yuffie). When you're ready to continue tracking Sephiroth, head for Junon Harbor, located 'in the shadows of a small hill' on the west coast.

Grasslands Area:
Before catching a Chocobo and heading across the marshes, consider taking the time to track down a Mu and learn its L4 SUICIDE Enemy Skill. Then look for a Level 16 Chocobo (usually flanked by two monsters of the same species, use Sense if you want to be certain) and feed it Mimett Greens. Immediately attack with L4 Suicide and the Chocobo will riposte with the fabled CHOCOBUCKLE Enemy Skill (this will work on any Chocobo with a level evenly divisible by 4). Don't forget to win the battle to complete the process!

Catching a Chocobo:
Equip the Chocobo Lure Materia and locate a set of Chocobo tracks. Walk around near them until you enter a battle with two monsters flanking a Chocobo. Defeat the monsters without harming the Chocobo and you'll catch the animal. If you're having difficulty defeating the monsters before the Chocobo runs away, consider purchasing greens from Choco Billy. Feeding them to a Chocobo will keep it occupied during the fight. Mythril Mine:
While you're inside, consider taking the time to fight a Madouge and an Ark Dragon. You can steal the GRAND GLOVE from the Madouge and you'll learn a new Enemy Skill when the Ark Dragon attacks you with its FLAME THROWER. Outside, in the Junon Area, you'll be able to steal the BOOMERANG from a Formula.

Walk past the first house and head left and down the steps to the Dolphin Offing. Defeat Bottomswell and perform CPR on Priscilla*. Head for the house in the near-right corner of town and talk to the woman standing outside the front door. Get some rest and follow Tifa outside the next morning. Head up the stairs to Priscilla's House and Priscilla will give you the SHIVA MATERIA. Follow her to the beach and talk to her. Jump to the structure above* (with Mr. Dolphin's help), head left to climb the ladder, and make your way to the opposite end of the Airport.

Enter the Locker Room to the left of the Commander, examine the open locker, and change into the Shinra uniform. Rehearse the Welcoming March and follow the Commander to the parade route. Take your place in line and participate in the Welcoming Parade. The TV Producer will send you one of four gifts depending on the Live TV Ratings*: a GRENADE (lowest), six POTIONS, six ETHERS, or 5000 GIL (highest). After the others are dismissed, you'll be forced to rehearse for the Junon Military Send Off. When you've had enough, head out and consider exploring and going shopping* on your way to the Dock. Participate in the Send Off and Heidegger will give you an item depending on the President's Mood: SILVER GLASSES (worst), an HP PLUS MATERIA, or the FORCE STEALER (best). Once you've been dismissed, board the Shinra Cargo Ship.

Bottomswell: Bottomswell attacks from a considerable distance. Only characters with long range weapons, such as Barret and Yuffie, or one with the Long Range Materia equipped can harm it with normal attacks. Other characters will have to use Magic and Limit Breaks. As a flying monster, Bottomswell is weak against Wind. Equip the [Choco/Mog]-[Elemental] combination in linked slots on the weapon of any party member possessing a long range attack. On that person's first turn, summon Choco/Mog to unleash their Wind-based attack and follow up with normal attacks (as they now carry a Wind element property). Bottomswell can use an attack called Water Bubble, encasing a single member of your party in a bubble reminiscent of Reno's Pyramid. In addition to being temporarily removed from battle, the victim will lose HP at a steady rate until the bubble can be broken by a Magic attack. Your most efficient STRATEGY would be to use magic that targets all opponents, freeing the prisoner and damaging the enemy at the same time. As a dying gesture, Bottomswell will use its strong Big Wave attack. Be prepared by keeping your entire party's HP reasonably high. [POWER WRIST]

CPR: Cloud will inhale ten times then automatically exhale and start over. Try to breathe just before the meter hits the top of the tenth gulp of air and you should be able to resuscitate Priscilla in just a few breaths.

Mr. Dolphin: The best spot to blow the whistle from is right along the near edge of the screen in the middle of the area directly under the tower. Boosting your ratings: Perfection doesn't necessarily generate high ratings. Taking your position then shouldering your rifle like a mad freak seems a more bankable

than trying to be 100% accurate. Shopping and Visitor's Guide: The farthest doorway in Upper Junon leads to the Materia Store, where you'll have your first chance to acquire SEAL MATERIA @ 3000 Gil and REVIVE MATERIA @ 3000 Gil. Enter the adjacent alley to find the Weapon Store, where you'll have your first opportunity to obtain the DIAMOND PIN @ 1300 Gil. The nearest doorway leads to the Barracks. Talk to the soldier in the near-right corner and follow him downstairs to find the Respectable Inn, a.k.a. Beginner's Hall (Intermediate). Pick up the ENEMY SKILL MATERIA in the near corner and climb back up the ladder. Head upstairs and grab the 1/35 SOLDIER and MIND SOURCE in the left room and the LUCK SOURCE in the right room. Take the stairs to the top floor and pick up the POWER SOURCE in the far-left room and the GUARD SOURCE in the near-right room. Head for Lower Junon, enter the second door on the right, and go straight to the top floor for your first chance to obtain SILVER GLASSES @ 3000 Gil and a HEADBAND @ 3000 Gil. Return to the street, take the next doorway to the left, and pick up the SPEED SOURCE in the near-left corner. Go upstairs and you'll find a 1/35 SOLDIER on a chair in the middle area.

Open the chest in the near-left corner and you'll find an ETHER. You'll see an ALL MATERIA among the crates under the stairs on the right side of the hold, but you won't be able to pick it up until Yuffie moves out of the way (that is, if she's joined your party). Conduct a search of the ship to find the rest of the team and return to the hold to talk to Aeris. Find Barret near the Bridge at the bow of the ship and talk to him. Meet the others at mid-deck and take your party down to the hold*. Take the far door to the Engine Room, climb the ladder to the left, and open the chest at the opposite end of the catwalk to find the WIND SLASH. Approach the person standing on the far side of the room and defeat Jenova-BIRTH. Pick up the IFRIT MATERIA and head for the exit.

After you arrive at Costa del Sol, leave the port and enter the house at the opposite end of the footbridge. In the unlikely case you can afford it, you can buy the late President's villa from the man in the bedroom for 300,000 Gil and use the residence (known thereafter as Cloud's Villa) as a place to rest for the remainder of the game. Otherwise, just head down the stairs in the far-right corner and pick up the items in the basement. Open the chest against the far wall to find a FIRE RING, pick up the MOTOR DRIVE near the left wall, and grab the POWER SOURCE in the near-right corner. Exit the house and consider taking the time to explore and go shopping* before heading to the beach at the right-most end of the village. Talk to Hojo and his honeys and you'll be told to 'head west, past Mt. Corel and keep going.' Leave the resort, travel west across the mountain pass, and enter the cave on the opposite side to reach Mt. Corel.

Jenova-BIRTH: This creature can attack successively with Tail Laser, causing significant damage to your entire party with each strike. Be prepared by equipping the [Restore]-[All] combination wherever you can spare the slots and keep your HP very high during the battle. Be advised depending too heavily on one character could end in disaster. Jenova-BIRTH can cast Stop and completely cut off your access to that character's abilities. In all other respects, this will be a fairly straight-up slugfest. Equip your most powerful weapons and Magic Materia (except Poison) and lay into Jenova-BIRTH with your strongest attacks, using as many Limit Breaks as possible. [WHITE CAPE]

Cargo hold: After the alarm sounds, the hold will be crawling with Marines. They can be fairly dangerous in groups, but consider taking the time to steal SHINRA BETA armor from them. Shopping Guide: Visit the Bar in Costa del Sol (the first door to the right of the Shinra Villa) and talk to the man in the near-left corner for your first chance to acquire a PLATINUM BANGLE @ 1800 Gil.

Climb the mountain path, descend to the Corel Reactor, and proceed along the railroad tracks until they split into upper and lower paths. As you begin along the upper path, the tracks will give way. Jump to safety if you wish, but by allowing yourself to fall, you'll get the chance to pick up two valuable items. Hold left and press [O] repeatedly to catch the support structure on the left side, allowing you to grab the WIZARD STAFF as you climb up. Hold right and press [O] to catch the right side, enabling you to reach a STAR PENDANT. After you climb up, proceed along the upper path to pick up the W MACHINE GUN. Head back and take the lower path. When the tracks give way again, grab the item you missed the first time and climb back up. At the second intersection, head back along the upper path and pick up the TURBO ETHER. Continue left and the tracks will give way a third time. Jump to safety and pick up the TRANSFORM MATERIA. Head to the right via the upper path and you'll see members of your party unable to cross the bridge below. Go right and around the bend, enter the control house, and lower the drawbridge*. Head back and make your way down to the drawbridge, proceed along the tracks, and take the left fork to find a cave personed by an unemployed miner. Open the chest on the left to find a TENT, pick up the MIND SOURCE in the near-left corner, and grab the POWER SOURCE in the near-right corner. Head out, take the right fork, and cross the rope bridge to reach North Corel. Take the path to the Ropeway Station in the near-left corner of town and board the tram bound for the Gold Saucer.

Near the control house: A little farther along the track, you'll be able to climb the retaining wall and reach a bird's nest. If you attempt to take the treasure, you'll be attacked by a Cokatolis. Win the battle and you'll receive ten PHOENIX DOWNS.

When you arrive at the Gold Saucer, purchase a pass from the hostess near the entrance (a single pass will cost you 3000 Gil; a lifetime pass, a.k.a. the GOLD TICKET, will cost you 30000 Gil) and proceed to the Gold Gate. Pick an exploring buddy and follow Barret to Wonder Square. A strange being name Cait Sith will read your fortune and join your party to see how it turns out. If you visit Speed Square, you'll meet Dio, the proprietor of the Gold Saucer. He'll tell you he met someone fitting Sephiroth's description, but has no idea where the person went. When you've finished amusing yourself at the Gold Saucer's attractions*, head for Battle Square. After being thrown into Corel Prison, follow Barret through the gate to the next area and find him in the Mayor's Old House (the first building on the right). To seek out the prison 'Boss,' return to the first area and go through the far-left gate. Go through the gate beyond the rift and head right. Head for the far side of the next area* and defeat Dyne. After a brief meeting with Mr. Coates, Ester will escort you to the Jockey's Lounge in the Gold Saucer. Pick up the RAMUH MATERIA near the far-right corner of the table and talk to Ester to begin the Chocobo Race*. Win the race and Dio will present you with the Buggy and point you toward Gongaga.

Dyne: Barret will square off against Dyne one-on-one; make sure he's prepared for a solo fight. Equip Restore Materia and anything that bolsters his repertoire of attacks (such as Enemy Skill, Summon and strong Magic Materia). Trade blows with your opponent, keeping your HP relatively high. Use Limit Breaks (except Hammerblow) as they become available and Dyne should quickly succumb. [SILVER ARMLET]

Gold Saucer: Though some of the attractions will be unavailable to you at this time, you'll still have the chance to win a few valuable prizes. For complete details about what the Gold Saucer has to offer, refer to the Gold Saucer section of Optional Quests. En route:
Watch out for a creature called Death Claw. Manipulate it and turn its LASER attack against the member(s) of your party with Enemy Skill Materia equipped and you'll learn its Enemy Skill. Chocobo Racing: The contestants in this race aren't very advanced and it shouldn't be overly difficult to win. Before the race begins, press [SELECT] to take manual control of your Chocobo. Increase your speed [O] and hold [R1 + R2] to continually recover your stamina. Sprint [T] in short bursts, taking care to keep at least a fair bit of stamina in the gauge, and you should win easily.

OPTIONAL QUESTS:
The Gold Saucer (Wonder Square, Speed Square, Chocobo Square)

Drive the Buggy south across the river to reach the Gongaga Area*. If you're curious about the burnt-out wreckage nestled unmistakably in middle of the forest directly ahead, see the Gongaga Village section of Optional Quests for full details. If getting to Sephiroth as soon as possible is your all-consuming desire, ignore the village and continue west along the south coast, cross the river, and follow the path through the canyon. When the Buggy breaks down, head for nearby Cosmo Canyon. Talk to the man at the gate and follow Red XIII up the stairs on the left. Consider taking the time to do some shopping* as you make your way to the Observatory at the top of Cosmo Canyon. Talk to Bugenhagen inside then find your companions and decide who will join you inside Bugenhagen's machine. Return to the Observatory and meet Bugenhagen inside the lab. After the presentation, meet the others at Cosmo Candle and talk to everyone (speak with Red XIII last). Follow Bugenhagen to the Gate of Naught and talk to him.

Descend to the bottom of the sealed cave and head right into the Cave of the Gi*. Proceed along the path, enter the third cave, and break open the odd shaped rock to activate a secret passage nearby. Head into the next area, take the first left, and return to the first area via the left path (walk slowly across the slippery liquid or you'll slide into a wall of spikes). Pick up the ADDED EFFECT MATERIA, head back into the next area, and cross to the right path. Take the second left, go down the steps, and open the chest at the near end of the lower path to find the BLACK M-PHONE. Open the chest at the far end of the lower path to find an ETHER, return to the upper path, and head into the next area. Enter the cave second from the right and open the chest at the far end of the path to find an X-POTION. Return to the five caves and enter the cave second from the left. Take the first left, enter the cave at the near end of the path, and head to the right inside the cave to emerge near a chest containing a FAIRY RING. Head for the far end of the area, duck through the cave on the left, and open the chest to find a TURBO ETHER before taking the path into the next area. Defeat Gi Nattak, pick up the GRAVITY MATERIA, and follow the others into the next area, where Red XIII will receive the SERAPH COMB. Return to the now up-and-running Buggy and head for Nibelheim.

Gi Nattak:
Gi Nattak begins the battle fronted by two Soul Fires. It can use its Take Over ability to send them into the bodies of your party members to do Fire-based damage from the inside. Equip a [Fire-element (Fire or Ifrit)]-[Elemental] defensive combination and the Fire Ring to minimize the damage should this occur. As an undead creature, Gi Nattak is keenly averse to Curative magic. Equip Restore Materia on as many characters as possible and bombard the enemy with first aid from hell. Of course, you could win the battle in a single (albeit costly) turn by using an X-Potion or an Elixir. [WIZER STAFF]

En route:
Consider taking the time to comb the Gold Saucer Area desert in the buggy looking for the Harpy to learn its AQUALUNG Enemy Skill. Hit the beach and manipulate a Beachplug to learn the perennially useful BIG GUARD Enemy Skill. Search the Gongaga Area forests for a Touch Me and learn its FROG SONG Enemy Skill. A reliable way to cause Sleep will come in handy, especially if you plan to undertake the Gongaga Village Optional Quest.

Shopping Guide:
Visit the Weapon Store in the lower cavern for your first chance to obtain the BUTTERFLY EDGE @ 2800 Gil, the TIGER FANG @ 2500 Gil, the HEAVY VULCAN @ 2700 Gil, the PRISM STAFF @ 2600 Gil, the SILVER BARRETTE @ 2500 Gil and the PINWHEEL @ 2600 Gil. Visit the Materia Store located down the path to the immediate right of the entrance in the upper cavern if you're interested in purchasing MP PLUS MATERIA @ 8000 Gil, HP PLUS MATERIA @ 8000 Gil or MYSTIFY MATERIA @ 6000 Gil.

Cave of the Gi:
In this area, you can learn the DEATH SENTENCE Enemy Skill from the Gi Spector and the Sneaky Step.

Drive the Buggy out of the canyon and north along the coast, cross the river, and head for Nibelheim seated at the foot of the mountains straight ahead. Consider taking the time to explore the village* then head for library in the basement of Shinra Mansion*. When you approach the far room, Sephiroth will tell you he's going 'north past Mt. Nibel' and give you (or rather pelt you with) a DESTRUCT MATERIA. Leave the mansion and take the far path and head north to reach Mt. Nibel.

Proceed along the path and take the detour up the first narrow spire to reach the RUNE BLADE. Head left past the second spire and take the detour that cuts behind then back and forth across it to reach the PLUS BARRETTE. Head left across the rope bridge and you'll reach an area with five chutes. Take the chute second from the right and you'll drop to a lower ledge. Pick up the POWERSOUL, jump down to the lowest level, and exit to the left of the creature in the near-right corner. Jump down and enter the cave below, head for the opposite end, and cut back to reach the farthest cave on the left. Walk along the hidden tunnel to emerge near a chest and open it to find an ELIXIR. Head back to the far end of the cave and proceed toward the Nibel Reactor. Along the way, you'll pick up an ELEMENTAL MATERIA on the left side of the fountain and the SNIPER CR on the far side of the following area. Enter the door on the far-right side of the reactor, climb the ladder, and return to the five chutes. Take the chute second for the left to reach an ALL MATERIA and jump down to the lowest area. Defeat Materia Keeper, pick up the COUNTER ATTACK MATERIA, and head out to reach the Nibel Area on the north side of the mountain.

Materia Keeper:
Materia Keeper has an incredibly devastating attack called Hell Combo; make sure you keep your entire party's HP at or near maximum. It also uses the TRINE Enemy Skill. Begin the battle with Big Guard and summon Choco/Mog or use Aeris' Seal Evil Limit Break as soon as it becomes available to cause Stop or Paralysis. Take the time to recover any lost HP, and hammer away with your strongest attacks. Use Choco/Mog or Seal Evil again as necessary and you should win with minimal risk. [JEM RING]

Visitor's Guide:
Go to the Inn and talk to the black figure in the far room and it'll give you a LUCK SOURCE. Visit the Item Store next door and talk to the black figure in the far-right corner and it'll give you an ELIXIR. Head for Tifa's House, enter the kitchen, and talk to the black figure in the far-right corner and it'll give you a TURBO ETHER. Go upstairs and talk to the black figure in the bedroom on the right and it'll give you the PLATINUM FIST. Visit the right-most house and talk to the two black figures on the second floor and they'll give you a LUCK SOURCE.

Shinra Mansion:
Take the far doorway, head right, and go to the far-right room. Open the chest to find the TWIN VIPER and return to the foyer. Take the doorway on the right, enter the near-right room, and open the chest to find the SILVER M-PHONE. Return to the foyer, take the stairs, and head left. Open the chest in the atrium at the end of the hall to find the ENEMY LAUNCHER. Head for the opposite side of the second floor, enter the far-right room, and open the chest to find a MAGIC SOURCE. You can learn the ???? Enemy Skill from the Jerseys you can find on the second floor. If you spotted the letters lying on the floor in the near-left corner of the foyer, then you've probably read about the scientifically altered Turk asleep in the basement. Refer to the Vincent Valentine section of Optional Quests for full details about how to convince this mystery person to join your party. On Mt. Nibel, you can steal GOLD ARMLETS from Dragons.

Circle the mountains to the north in a clockwise direction and you'll eventually arrive at Rocket Town*. If you talk to the old man standing in front of the Item Store (the building in the far-left corner of town) and look at the rocket with him, he'll give you the YOSHIYUKI. Head for the right-most house and open the chest in the nearest corner of the kitchen to find a POWER SOURCE. Enter the farthest house and open the chest in the small room adjacent to the back hallway to find the DRILL ARM. Go to the backyard and you'll find the Tiny Bronco and chat with Shera. She'll send you to the rocket to speak with the Captain. Go back through the house and head for Shinra No. 26. Climb to the top and talk to Cid about the rocket. Return to Cid's House and speak with Shera. When Rufus arrives and Palmer enters the house, go outside to check on Cid. When Shera calls you back in, head for the backyard and defeat Palmer.

When the Tiny Bronco splashes down into the ocean, you'll be at a loss for a clear-cut idea of where to go next. The crippled plane can return you to just about anywhere you've already been, plus you'll be able to reach a few new destinations. Consider going back to undertake any Optional Quests you may have missed or skipped, pick up any items you may have overlooked or been unable to afford, and learn any Enemy Skills* you couldn't or didn't acquire previously. If Yuffie has joined your party, it would be well worth your while to visit the large island west of the crash site and take part in the Wutai Optional Quests.

Palmer:
Palmer's only attack is his Mako Gun, a weapon capable of delivering a fair amount of Fire-, Ice- or Lightning-based damage. Equip items that boost your Spirit, such as the Talisman, to fortify yourself against his magic attacks. Palmer is susceptible to Stop; equip Choco/Mog and consider installing [Time]-[Added Effect] into the weapon of a different character to give yourself a back-up method of paralyzing the Shinra exec. Begin by using Big Guard and follow up with Choco/Mog. Whale away on him with your strongest attacks (when he's paralyzed, D.blow will never miss) and he may meet his gruesome yet undeniably humorous end before he can move another muscle. [EDINCOAT]

Shopping Guide:
Visit the Weapon Store (the first building on the left) for your first chance to obtain the SHOTGUN @ 3100 Gil and an EARRING @ 7500 Gil. Stop by the Item Store if you're interested in purchasing BARRIER MATERIA @ 10000 Gil, EXIT MATERIA @ 10000 Gil or TIME MATERIA @ 6000 Gil.

Enemy Skills:
With Manipulate Materia in hand, consider heading back to the Junon Area and taking control of a Zemzelett to learn the WHITE WIND Enemy Skill. By now, you should be strong enough to face the Midgar Zolom in the Grasslands Area marshes and learn the BETA Enemy Skill as well.

OPTIONAL QUESTS:
Wutai (Materia Hunter, Turtle's Paradise, Pagoda of the Five Mighty Gods), The Sleeping Old Man & The Weapon Seller

Once you've acquired the Tiny Bronco and you begin to explore, be mindful of your next objective and be on the lookout for information regarding the whereabouts of the Temple of the Ancients. A visit to Bone Village (located northwest of Midgar in the middle of a forest on the Northern Continent) will confirm a man fitting Sephiroth's description has been searching for the Temple. Further questioning will reveal its location, 'way down south,' and the fact that you'll need the Keystone, reputed to be in the hands of 'some rich guy,' to get inside. Visit the Weapon Seller in the northeast corner of the Gongaga Area and he'll tell you he sold the Keystone to Dio, the manager of the Gold Saucer. Beach the Tiny Bronco and head for the Gold Saucer.

Go to Battle Square and visit Dio's Museum. Examine the Keystone and Dio will agree to give it to you if you entertain him in the Battle Arena*. It doesn't matter how well you do; in fact, you could escape immediately and still receive the KEYSTONE; but running the gauntlet through all eight battles will impress Dio enough that he'll reward you with a PROTECT VEST and a CHOCO FEATHER as well. When you return to the Ropeway Station, you'll discover the tram isn't working and Cait Sith will suggest you spend the night at the Ghost Hotel. During the night, a member of the party will approach you and together you'll spend the evening touring the Saucer*. Your liaison will be cut short at the Gold Gate when you stumble across the heist of the Keystone. Chase the thief through the park to Chocobo Square, where you'll make a shocking discovery. The next morning, open the wardrobe in the far-right corner of Cloud's room to find an ELIXIR and meet the rest of the team in the hotel lobby. Return to the Tiny Bronco, head south along the Gongaga Area coast, and east along the chain of islands to reach the Woodlands Area south of Junon.

Dio's Challenge: Make sure Cloud is properly equipped to fight solo before you accept. Also, know that any BP you earn during the challenge will not be retained, so there's no point in trying to get the most crippling slot effects. For full details about fighting in the Battle Arena, consult the Gold Saucer section of Optional Quests. Cloud's date: Your night visitor will be whoever has the greatest affinity for Cloud. Depending on your previous actions, it's possible to tete-a-tete with Aeris, Tifa, Yuffie or even Barret!

Head for the temple in the middle of the forest and climb the steps to reach the altar. When Tseng gives you the Keystone, place it on the altar and you'll be transported inside the Temple. When the strange creature beckons you, follow him to his chamber. Though this area appears complicated, the path is actually quite linear. Head right, up the short flight of steps and left, right and down the steps, through the archway, down the vines, and right under the long set of steps. Open the chest to find the TRIDENT and head right, up the vines, left and up the steps, and up another set of vines. Pick up the MIND SOURCE, head down the steps, and enter the creature's chamber. Open the chest to find the SILVER RIFLE and exit. Head back up the stairs, down the vines, and through the archway. Pick up the TURBO ETHER, go down the long set of steps, through another archway and down the steps, left behind the pillar, and down the vines. Open the chest to find the ROCKET PUNCH and note the second Ancient and the corridor it disappears into. Go down the stairs, right and up the vines, up the stairs and through the archway, down the stairs and up the vines, and left to pick up the LUCK PLUS MATERIA. Go back the way you came and enter the doorway taken by the Ancient.

Make your way to the right by ducking under the gaps in the rolling boulders until you reach the center pool and pick up the MORPH MATERIA. Continue all the way to the right to deactivate the booby trap and follow Aeris back to the pool. Head right to reach a clock-like room moderated by the Time Guardian. By moving the hands of the clock, you'll be able to create a walkway between your current location and the path you wish to take. Begin by touching the second hand and you'll be knocked off, plunging to the chamber below. Defeat the two Ancient Dragons and open the chest to find the NAIL BAT. Leave the room and you'll find yourself back in the first area. Make your way back to the clock-like room and explore the numbered passages* in any order (except VI and XII). When you're ready to move on, take passage VI. In this area, a particularly playful Ancient will play hide and seek with the key to the next room. Catch the little rascal to unlock the door* and open the chest on the lowest level to find the WORK GLOVE. Return to the upper-most level and enter the inner sanctum. Make your way to the right and defeat the Red Dragon. Pick up the BAHAMUT MATERIA, proceed to the right, and examine the object floating above the altar. Return to the clock-like room and take passage XII. Head for the exit and defeat Demons Gate.

Red Dragon:
This beast uses physical and Fire-based attacks; equip [Fire-element]-[Elemental] defensive combination or the Fire Ring and items that increase your Vitality, such as the Protect Vest. Begin by using Big Guard and casting Regen (if you've acquired it) on your entire party. Cast Slow on your opponent (or use Seal Evil or Dazers if you have them to paralyze it if you'd rather) and use Bio to inflict damage and cause Poison status. [DRAGON ARMLET]

Demons Gate:
Demons Gate moves swiftly and uses attacks that can cause significant damage to your whole party or cause Petrify. You may wish to equip the Jem Ring and the Heal Materia (unless you prefer to use Softs). Begin with Big Guard, cast Slow on Demons Gate, and Regen on your allies. Use physical attacks and Limit Breaks as they become available, making sure you maintain the HP of your party members. [GIGAS ARMLET]

Exploring the numbered passages:
-[I]: chest containing enemies (Jemnezmy ++ two Toxic Frogs)
-[II]: dead end
-[III]: chest containing enemies (two 8 Eyyees)
-[IIII]: chest containing the PRINCESS GUAARRD
-[V]: chest containing a RIBBON
-[VI]: door to the inner sanctum
-[VII]: chest containing the TRUMPET SHELLL<
-[VIII]: chest containing a MEGALIXIR
-[IX]: dead end
-[X]: rolling boulder booby trap> -[XI]: dead end
-[XII]: exit

Hide and seek:
When the Ancient ducks into one passage, it'll pop out from a different one, moving in a set pattern. Your task will be to figure out which doorway the guard will come out of and catch it by entering that passage. You could just follow him in and our of every door until you figure out the whole pattern; or just jump down (press [O] at the left end of walkway) to the middle level and enter the passage second from the right to catch him right away.

After you awaken in the Inn in Gongaga Village, find the Tiny Bronco parked on the south shore and head for the Icicle Area located on the continent northwest of Midgar. Beach the plane and head for Bone Village (in the middle of the forest). Beyond the skull tent lies the Sleeping Forest Aeris described in Cloud's vision, but you'll be unable to pass through it without a LUNAR HARP. Talk to the 'guy in the tent' on the lower level to hire workers to help you dig one up*. With the Harp in hand, enter the Sleeping Forest and it will awaken. As you pass through the woods, you'll notice a Summon Materia disappearing and reappearing, floating amongst the trees. Catch it and you'll receive the KJATA MATERIA. Proceed to the Corral Valley, walk under the hollowed-out log, and open the chest to find a WATER RING. Go back around and through the log and proceed through the valley to reach the Forgotten City. Take the left path, enter the dwelling on the left, and open the chest in the loft to find a MAGIC SOURCE. Exit and enter the cave to the right. This large structure houses a mysterious ancient device at its center, note its location for future reference. Go down the steps and head right behind the columns to find a chest containing an AURORA ARMLET. Return to the city entrance and take the right path. Enter the first dwelling on the right and open the chest on the highest level to find a GUARD SOURCE. Enter the dwelling next door and open the chest on the right side of the ground floor to find an ELIXIR. Climb the ladder and rest for the night.

When you wake up, grab the ENEMY SKILL MATERIA behind the farthest bed and head for the city entrance. Take the center path, enter the dwelling, and pick up the COMET MATERIA on the highest level before taking the steps to the Water Altar down below. When you approach Aeris, you'll find yourself unable to control your actions as tragedy unfolds. Defeat Jenova-LIFE.

Jenova-LIFE: This creature uses Water-based attacks exclusively. Equip the [Leviathan]-[Elemental] defensive combination and the Water Ring to make at least two party members completely invulnerable. Your opponent is weak against Earth; equip [Earth-element (Earth or Titan)]-[Elemental] in the weapon of your strongest character. Jenova-LIFE can use Aqualung; if you have the extra space, equip any Enemy Skill Materia without it to acquire this skill. Begin by casting Haste and Regen on your entire party. If you feel it's necessary, you may wish to follow up by casting MBarrier on your unprotected character. Bombard your opponent with Quake and physical attacks to march onward toward victory. [WIZARD BRACELET]

Excavation team:
The Lunar Harp is buried on the upper level in the area between the column of smoke and the near-left corner of the skull tent. Pinpoint the exact location by placing at least three workers in a triangle surrounding the area. By digging for 'Good treasure,' you can find the MOP, the BUNTLINE, and a MEGALIXIR. Rumor has it you can also dig up any items you may have missed in locations you can no longer visit. In addition to hiring workers, talk to the 'guy in the tent' if you wish to purchase a DIAMOND BANGLE @ 3200 Gil or a RUNE ARMLET @ 3700 Gil.

After your encounter with Jenova-LIFE, take the far-right path out of the city. Head to the left of and behind the spiny structure to open the chest in the near-right corner and find the VIPER HALBERD. Climb the spiral stairs and take the far-left path to the Corral Valley Cave. Climb the second cleft, exit left, and climb the next cleft to open the chest and find a BOLT ARMLET. Cross to the right, climb down the right-most cleft, and exit left to reach a chest containing the HYPNOCROWN. Climb to the top of the cleft, exit right, and open the chest to find a MEGALIXIR. Cross to the left, climb up the next cleft, and head left and down the ladder to pick up the MAGIC PLUS MATERIA. Climb to the top of the ladder, head right, and enter the cave. Open the chest to find a POWER SOURCE and exit the cave at the far opening.

Head southwest through the valley, west along the coastline, and northeast up the hill to reach Icicle Inn. When you attempt to get past the person on the far side of the village, Shinra troops will arrive and declare Icicle Inn under martial law. Dodge Elena's punch if you can and search for supplies. Enter Professor Gast's House next door to the Weapon Shop*, head downstairs, and pick up the TURBO ETHER between the bed and the window. Visit the house in the center of the village and talk to the boy in the far bedroom. Pick up the SNOWBOARD, exit, and head for the Inn in the far-right corner. Go upstairs, pick up the X-POTION near the window, and head for the house with the snowman out front. Enter the room in the far corner to pick up the HERO DRINK and the VACCINE. Take the GLACIER MAP hanging on the wall outside the room and head for the far end of the village. As you snowboard down the mountain to the Great Glacier, choose the left path twice (you can do whatever you like, however this option is probably the best way to make your exploration of the Glacier most efficient).

Shopping Guide: Visit the Weapon Store (the first building on the left) for your first chance to obtain the ORGANICS @ 12000 Gil, the DRAGON CLAW @ 10000 Gil, the MICROLASER @ 12000 Gil, the ADAMAN CLIP @ 11000 Gil, the HAWKEYE @ 12000 Gil, the RED M-PHONE @ 11000 Gil, the MAST AX @ 13000 Gil and the LARIAT @ 12000 Gil.

Once you reach the Great Glacier, your objective will be to find the base of Gaea's Cliff (the check mark on the map). Determine where you've landed and proceed from there. Keep in mind you WILL pass out if you don't find shelter quickly. Win your battles in swift fashion and don't waste any time moving from place to place. If you chose the left path twice, you should land in the middle of a forest. Search the far side of the forest to find a MIND SOURCE, then take the path to the right to the next area. Proceed along the edge of the lake until you can walk out onto the ice. Pick up the POTION and head for the center of the lake. Cross the ice floes* and enter the cave to find a SAFETY BIT. Return to shore and take the far-right path to the next area. Head past the lone tree, take the path to the right to the next area, and take the path in the far-right corner. Look carefully along the second section of path and you'll find an ADDED CUT MATERIA lying in the snow. Proceed to the next area and examine the edge of the left pool. Touch the hot spring and continue to the far-left to reach a swirling snowfield. Begin by heading for the far side of the area, placing flags [O] frequently to mark your course. When the snowfield begins to spin, watch the flags and try to maintain your original trajectory. Just to the left of center, you'll see a small cave. Take note of it, but ignore it for the time being and keep heading in the same direction. If all goes well, you'll reach the cabin at the base of the cliff before passing out. Go inside and talk to Holzoff in the next room. He'll tell you about Gaea's Cliff and insist you get some rest. If you do pass out (or if you pass out during any subsequent expeditions), you'll come to in Holzoff's cabin anyway. From this point on, you'll be able to return here to rest and save your game.

Return to the swirling snowfield and head for the cave you spotted earlier and go inside to pick up an ALL MATERIA. When you first exit, the mouth of the cave will be pointing directly toward the near side of the snowfield. Head left and take the path to the next area. Take the path to the left of the moai face and proceed to the next area. Enter the cave in the center of the area, pick up the ELIXIR, and return to the swirling snowfield. Cut directly across to the right side of the snowfield and take the path to the next area. Enter the cave in the far-right corner and talk to the woman huddled in the corner. Defeat her, pick up the ALEXANDER MATERIA, and sprint back to Holzoff's cabin.

Ice floes:
This obstacle is a classic brainteaser. You can only jump on chunks of ice when they are completely afloat (large). Jumping on an ice chunk causes all adjacent chunks to switch: afloat chunks will submerge, submerged chunks will surface. If all surrounding ice chunks are submerged, you'll fall into the lake and you'll have to start over. Basically, if you're about to jump on an ice chunk completely surrounded by afloat chunks, think again, you're about to jump the wrong way.

Leave Holzoff's cabin and take the far path to Gaea's Cliff*. Scale the first rock face, taking a moment at each ledge to raise your body temperature [S] to normal, and enter the first cave. Walk under the arch and take the passage the far cavern, then take the near-left passage back to the first area. As you cross over the arch, continue directly right through the hidden passage and open the chest to find a RIBBON. Return to the path and head for the middle-left passage. Open the chest to find the JAVELIN and proceed to the far cavern. Make your way to the high ledge in the far-left corner. Push the rock over, backtrack until you reach the path made accessible by the boulder, and make your way to the second rock face. Scale the cliff (choose to go up at the first split) and enter the second cave. Open the chest in the near-right corner to find an ELIXIR and take the far-right passage. Follow the path until you reach an area with four enormous icicles and open the chest on the right to find a FIRE ARMLET. Destroy all four icicles in battle and open the chest on the left to find a MEGALIXIR. Jump down to the floor below and you'll now be able to reach the chest in the far-left corner to find a SPEED SOURCE. Take the far passage, open the chest to find the ENHANCE SWORD, and proceed to the third rock face. Scale the cliff and enter the final cave. Consider using the pool adjacent to the Save Point to completely restore your party, then proceed to the next area. Defeat Schizo and head for the final rock face.

Scale the cliff to reach the summit and proceed toward the center of the crater. As you enter the Whirlwind Maze, you'll find the NEO BAHAMUT MATERIA on the ground. Jump to the path on the far side of the Save Point and head left. Examine the two black figures and they'll drop a HI-POTION and an ETHER. Cross the barrier when it's nearly dispersed (if you get hit, you'll be forced into battle) and proceed to the next area. Open the chest to find the KAISER KNUCKLE and follow the procession of black figures to reach the next barrier. Dodge the energy waves, proceed to the next area, and defeat Jenova-DEATH. After Cloud picks up the BLACK MATERIA, give it to someone else and talk to Tifa. Head up the path, grab the MP TURBO MATERIA, and open the chest to find a POISON RING. Cross the third barrier, dodging the energy waves and lightning, and you'll enter an elaborate illusion created by Sephiroth.

Schizo:
Schizo's Right Side uses Fire-based attacks and its Left Side uses Ice-based attacks. Either side can cast Quake3 and both will use a strong Lightning-based final attack. Prepare by equipping one party member with the Fire Armlet and the Ice Ring, another with the Aurora Armlet and the Fire Ring, and the last with the Bolt Armlet and [Fire]-[Elemental] and [Ice]-[Elemental] defensive combinations. Begin by casting Haste (or Big Guard) on your entire party. Use any characters equipped with the Magic Hammer Enemy Skill to deplete Schizo's MP reserves as quickly as possible and focus the party's attacks on one side at a time. Akin to a mournfully defunct fast food burger, Schizo likes to keep the hot side hot and the cool side cool. Hit the Right Side with Ice-based or non-elemental attacks, but make sure you steal a PROTECT RING before you finish it off. Check your party's HP then turn your attention to the Left Side. Use Fire-based attacks to send Schizo the way of the McDLT. [DRAGON FANG] Jenova-DEATH:
This creature uses Fire-based attacks. Equip one character with the Fire Armlet, another with the Fire Ring and the last with the [Fire-element]-[Elemental] defensive combination to completely negate Jenova-DEATH's ability to do damage to your party. Equip Ribbons and the [Seal]-[Added Effect] defensive combination to protect yourself from Silence and you'll be untouchable. Unload with the strongest (non-Gravity-based) attacks in your arsenal and use the Magic Hammer Enemy Skill to replenish your MP. [REFLECT RING]

Gaea's Cliff: You can learn the BAD BREATH Enemy Skill from a Malboro and the MAGIC BREATH Enemy Skill from a Stilva.

When Tifa awakens, talk to Barret and follow the soldiers through Shinra's Junon Branch to the Press Room. When Weapon is detected, defeat the Attack Squad and try to open the door to the gas chamber. Talk to Cait Sith near the exit, head out into the corridor, and take the path to the right. Make your way to the Airport and find the HIGHWIND in the far right corner of the platform. Free Tifa from the chair, shut down the gas chamber, and attempt to exit*. When Weapon attacks, climb down the face of the building and break for the opposite end of the cannon. B-slap the bejeezus out of Scarlet if you can and make your escape in the Highwind. Follow Barret inside and head for the cockpit. Talk to your comrades and the crew, then head for Operations. Talk to the crewman in the near-left corner to form a party and return to the cockpit. Talk to the pilot to take control of the airship and begin your search for Cloud.

As you scour the planet, you'll notice almost every town has something new to offer. You'll find new weapons at the shop in Costa del Sol*; Materia previously unavailable by purchase at shops in Fort Condor, Costa del Sol and Rocket Town; and accessories previously unavailable by purchase at the shop in Rocket Town. Additionally, the Junon shops have been re-outfitted to carry nearly every single weapon unavailable by purchase prior to this point in the game. By talking to the right people, you'll learn about an island in the south that boasts an unusually close proximity to the Lifestream and an especially good doctor.

Pilot the Highwind to the 'three-taloned island' in the southeast and head for the village of Mideel located along the southern perimeter of the forest. Enter the Item Store to the right and talk to the Crazed Shopper*. Catch the White Chocobo and feed it some Samolen Greens (apparently a dialectal variation: as cilantro is to coriander, so are Samolen Greens to Mimmet Greens). If you spoke to Chole at the Chocobo Farm, you know it likes to be scratched behind the ears. Do so and you'll receive CONTAIN MATERIA. Exit, climb the steps, and enter the Weapon Store* on the first landing. Make sure you speak to the Crazed Shopper again and examine the door at the rear of the shop. Exit and head left toward the Accessory Store. Examine the planking where it creaks just behind the far-right corner of the building and you'll find a Beat-up Useless Old Key. Return to the Weapon Store and try it in the door at the back. When it breaks off in the lock, tell the truth and the shop owner will give you a CURSE RING. Go to ground level and visit the Materia Store to the right of the archway and talk to the Crazed Shopper one last time before heading into the main square. Approach the dog and you'll overhear a conversation about a 'pokey-headed young thing' being cared for at the Clinic.

Gas chamber:
Push [X] twice to grab the key with your feet and drag it closer. Push [T] to sit up and press [T] + [X] simultaneously to bring the keys to your mouth. Push [T] + [S] or [O] to free one arm. Push the button corresponding to Tifa's unfettered arm to release the other and examine the device on the far side of the chair to shut off the gas.

Costa del Sol (Disc 2) Shopping Guide:
Visit the man in the Bar if you wish to purchase the SOLID BAZOOKA @ 16000 Gil, the CENTCLIP @ 14000 Gil, the SPIRAL SHURIKEN @ 14000 Gil, the LONG BARREL R @ 13000 Gil and the GOLD M-PHONE @ 15000 Gil.

Crazed Shopper:
When the Item, Weapon, and Materia Stores become unavailable later in the game, you'll be able to buy the items from the Crazed Shopper (but only those corresponding to the shops in which you spoke to her).

Mideel Shopping Guide:
Visit the Weapon Store for your first chance to buy the CRYSTAL SWORD @ 18000 Gil, the CRYSTAL GLOVE @ 16000 Gil, the A-M CANNON @ 18000 Gil, the CRYSTAL COMB @ 17000 Gil, the CRYSTAL CROSS @ 18000 Gil, the CRYSTAL M-PHONE @ 18000 Gil, the PARTISAN @ 19000 Gil, the WINCHESTER @ 18000 Gil and a CRYSTAL BANGLE @ 4800 Gil. Go to the Accessory Store for your first chance to obtain the AMULET @ 10000 Gil.

Back onboard the Highwind, take Cid to Operations to make a new party and take off to begin your quest for the first two Huge Materia. You can pursue the Huge Materia at the Corel Reactor and Fort Condor in any order, but Barret seems pretty agitated and bent on protecting his hometown first. If your heart goes out to the big guy and you wish to placate him, pilot the Highwind to the Gold Saucer Area and head for the heart of Mt. Corel via North Corel. Defeat the Shinra Attack Squad guarding the reactor and run down the Shinra Coal Train. You'll have 10 minutes to catch up in your pilfered choo-choo, make your way to the engine, and stop the runaway locomotive* before it demolishes North Corel. You'll be able to continue even if you fail, but success is the only way to acquire the HUGE MATERIA. In addition, the little kid will give you ULTIMA MATERIA if you save the town. If not, you'll have to pay 50000 Gil for it! Before you leave, visit the left shack on the middle terrace and speak to the widow wearing a cap and she'll give you the CATASTROPHE Limit Break. Pilot the Highwind to the Junon Area and head for Fort Condor. Head for the lookout bunker and you'll discover Shinra is about to launch its final assault on the reactor. Use the same basic

used in previous battles, perhaps adding a few extra troops (refer to the Fort Condor Optional Quest for complete details about waging battle). However, it's almost more in your interest to save your money, allow the enemy march up to the shed unopposed, and defeat the Cmd. Grand Horn for the victory. Doing so will earn you an IMPERIAL GUARD, your earliest chance to obtain this impressive piece of armor. After the battle, go outside and pick up the PHOENIX MATERIA. Talk to the old man at the table and he'll give you the HUGE MATERIA. When you've completed both Huge Materia quests, Cid will suggest you return to Mideel to check on Cloud. Visit the dwelling on the left side of the main square and grab the ELIXIR on the old man's bed. Head for the Clinic and speak to Tifa. Battle with Ultimate Weapon until it flies away.

When Tifa arrives in Cloud's subconscious, talk to the far Cloud and head into Nibelheim. Then talk to the left Cloud and visit the Nibelheim well. Talk to the near-right Cloud and young Cloud, and head for the window outside Tifa's House. Talk to Cloud again and take the far path into Nibelheim one more time.

Ultimate Weapon: This beast isn't really after you and it'll fly off after only a few rounds (or immediately if you cause enough damage or completely sap its MP). Ultimate Weapon can cast Quake2 and has a strong physical attack. It also has a very strong non-elemental attack that targets your entire party called Ultima Beam. Equip the Tetra Elemental or the [Earth-element (Earth or Titan)]-[Elemental] defensive combination if you feel it's necessary. Interestingly, you can also absorb the effects of the Ultima Beam by equipping a non-elemental Materia (such as Comet or Bahamut) and Elemental Materia in linked slots in your armor. Begin the battle by using Big Guard and make sure you steal the second CURSE RING before you let loose your best attacks (or a continuous flurry of Magic Hammer).

Shinra Engineer's Manual: To catch up to the Shinra Coal Train, operate the levers by alternating between [Up] and [T] to accelerate. It can be more difficult than it seems; try starting slowly and build up speed gradually once you find a rhythm. On the fourth car, you'll face the Eagle Gun. Make sure you steal from it as this will be your ONLY chance to acquire the WARRIOR BANGLE. Cid has 'theories' about how to stop the Shinra Coal Train, but they seem little more than guesses. There are several correct ways to trigger the brakes, but the key appears to be pulling the levers in unison. Just put your trust in Cid and do as he says and you'll be fine. If your efforts produce the counter-intended effect of increasing your speed, fear not. 'Tis merely a heightening of the drama, you're doing the right thing.

Pilot the Highwind to the Junon Area and head into Under Junon. Talk to the Shinra Soldier on the far side of town and give him 10 Gil to ride the elevator up to Junon. Head for the path that separates Upper and Lower Junon and take the elevator in the near-left corner. When you step out, you'll notice a snarling dog guarding a corridor to the right. There's nothing you can do with it for now, but take note of it for future reference. Follow the path to the Underwater Reactor and proceed to the submarine dock*. Defeat Carry Armor and open the chest at the end of the pier to the left to find the BATTLE TRUMPET. Open the chest near the stairs to find the SCIMITAR and open the chest at the end of the pier to find the LEVIATHAN SCALES. Weed-whack you way through the Shinra troops to board the submarine and make your way to the bridge. Fight the crew or take them prisoner, take your place at the helm. Track and sink the red Leader Sub within the 10-minute time limit* and you'll receive the Shinra Sub. Before heading for the Junon Airport, jump back in the Sub and motor south. You'll find the Leader Sub resting in its watery grave against the southern perimeter of the ocean floor. Examine it and you'll find another HUGE MATERIA.

Carry Armor: Carry Armor is weak against Lightning; equip the [Lightning-element (Lightning or Ramuh)]-[Elemental] combo in your weapons to strengthen your attacks. Carry Armor has a powerful attack called Lapis Laser that targets your entire party. Begin by using Big Guard and casting Regen on everyone to protect yourself. When you start to attack, focus all your attention on the main body. When you it goes, the whole machine will go. The only thing you really have to be concerned about is its ability to pick up members of your party, taking them out of the battle. Worse than that is the fact that damaging Carry Armor in this situation will also harm your captured comrade. The only thing you can do is assault the offending arm (using attacks that hit a single target) and hope you destroy it before your teammate dies. [GOD'S HAND]

En route:
In the glass tunnel leading to the reactor, you'll face creatures called Ghost Ships. Make sure you morph at least one of them into a GUIDE BOOK. The item is useless on its own, but if you take it to the Mourner of Kalm you can trade it for the UNDERWATER MATERIA. If you're having trouble, use L4 Suicide first then use Morph. You can steal SHINRA ALPHA armor from Underwater MPs and the Captain inside the Shinra Submarine (if you choose to fight him). Shinra Submarine Battle: This battle should be startlingly easy. All you need to do is accelerate [T] and fall in behind the red sub. When you get in close and establish a lock (the target box will be red), launch all four torpedoes [S] at once. Two or three salvos should be all you need to destroy the Leader Sub. Ignore the yellow subs completely unless you're fired upon, in which case you should accelerate and dive or surface to evade the oncoming torpedoes. If you lose track of the red sub, check your long-range sonar [R1] to re-acquire it. Don't be too surprised if it takes less than 40 seconds to complete the mission.

If, by some miracle (like you develop an insurmountable compulsion to tag mines repeatedly), you fail to sink the Leader Sub, you won't be able to get the Huge Materia but you will have a second chance to acquire a submarine. After you come to at the Under Junon Dolphin Offing, head back into Junon and ride the elevator to the path to the Underwater Reactor. Talk to the Submarine Crew huddled near the snarling dog and defeat them. Talk to the dog and chase it through the Submarine Dock and into the sub. Deal with the cowering crew as you please and the red Shinra Sub will be yours.

OPTIONAL QUESTS:
Wutai (Da-chao Statue Fire Cavern), Midgar & Nibelheim, Chocobo Breeding, Ancient Forest, Materia Caves, Gelnika, The Waterfall Cave

Head for the Junon Airport as per the transmission you intercepted in the Shinra Sub and you'll discover the Huge Materia is being moved. Race back to the Highwind and head for Rocket Town. Enter the Weapon Store and open the chest in the near-right corner of the bedroom adjacent to the shop to find the FOURTH BRACELET. Head for the rocket and battle your way through the Shinra troops up the scaffolding. Defeat Rude and the Attack Squad and make your way to the cockpit.

After lift-off, enter the duct to the right and climb the ladder to the Materia Room. Examine the keypad on the Materia chamber and attempt to enter the correct Passcode. Unless you pull off a lucky guess of cosmic proportions, you'll fail and the lock-down process will be initiated. You'll have 3 minutes to determine the correct code* or you'll lose the Huge Materia for good. With each subsequent failed attempt, Cid will give you a random clue in a feeble attempt to assist you. It's possible to proceed with the game if the Huge Materia slips through your fingers, but with or without it, you'll have to evacuate. Head for the Escape Pod at the opposite end of the rocket and wait to see how events unfold.

Rude & Attack Squad: Rude's most threatening attack is a Lighntning-based skill he can use several times consecutively called Grand Spark. You can absorb the attack by equipping Bolt Armlets, Tetra Elementals or a [Lightning-element]-[Elemental] defensive combination in your armor; or nullify the damage by equipping the Escort Guard or Bolt Rings. Attack Squad have an attack that can cause Sleep; equip Headbands, Ribbons or [Seal or Hades]-[Added Effect] to undermine the effect. Begin with the standard Big Guard and Regen on your entire party opening. Immediately dispatch the Attack Squad nuisance and set about the task of stealing from Rude a fabulous piece of armor called the ZEIDRICH. He should cough it up fairly readily. When he does, let go with everything you've got.

Passcode:
In case you have no confidence in your puzzle-solving ability (or no tolerance for puzzles), the Passcode is [O]-[S]-[X]-[X]. Once you've returned to terra firma, head back into Rocket Town with Cid in your party and talk to the old man in front of the Item Store until he gives you the VENUS GOSPEL.

With all four Huge Materia quests complete, pilot the Highwind to the Cosmo Area and head for Cosmo Canyon. Visit the Item Store and you'll discover the passage to the right of the counter is no longer roped off. Proceed to the back room to pick up an ELIXIR and a MAGIC SOURCE and grab the FULL CURE MATERIA from the bed. Meet Bugenhagen in the Observatory and he'll indicate he'd like to visit the Forgotten City. Before you depart, Bugenhagen will take whatever Huge Materia* you have and store it in his lab. Return to the Highwind and head for the Forgotten City. Take the left path and escort Bugenhagen to the large structure housing the mysterious ancient device. Head right along the upper walkway and down the stairs. Approach the glowing object suspended in the middle of the hall and Bugenhagen will send you to find a key hidden somewhere 'even sunlight can't reach.' Go back to the Highwind head for the Shinra Sub. From Junon, take the Sub north along the eastern perimeter of the ocean floor, pass through a narrow canyon, and locate the hidden tunnel that will take you east under the Northern Continent. When you reach the area roughly beneath the Forgotten City, you'll find a strange-looking object, the KEY TO ANCIENTS. When you return to the Forgotten City and give the Key to Bugenhagen, he'll use it to activate the Ancient Music Box. When you've learned all you can from the ancient device, head back to the Highwind. As you're about to board the airship, Diamond Weapon will rise out of the ocean and begin advancing toward Midgar. Head for the beach north of the city and prepare yourself for the upcoming fight. Battle Diamond Weapon then inspect the damage at the Northern Cave. When Cait Sith contacts you and his true identity is revealed, fly the Highwind over Midgar and your party will parachute into the city.

Diamond Weapon:
Diamond Weapon frequently uses a Fire-based attack; protect yourself against Fire ([Fire-element]-[Elemental], Fire Armlet, Tetra Elemental, etc.). Its most devastating attack is the Diamond Flash, which inflicts heavy damage to your entire party and can cause Silence. Consider equipping Ribbons and/or [Seal or Hades]-[Added Effect]. Open with Big Guard and Regen, then steal the RISING SUN as soon as possible. At the beginning of the battle, Diamond Weapon will be immune to physical attacks. For the moment, use strong magic such as Ultima, Contain magic and Comet. When it opens its chest cavity and begins the countdown to Diamond Flash, its immunity will switch from physical to magic attacks. Make the appropriate shift in your tactics, and you may be able to defeat the creature before it has the chance to attack.

Huge Materia:
If you have acquired both the Bahamut Materia and the Neo Bahamut Materia, approach the Blue Huge Materia and you'll receive the BAHAMUT ZERO MATERIA. Approach the Green Huge Materia when you have a mastered set of all 21 Magic Materia and perform a Materia Blend to receive a MASTER MAGIC MATERIA. Approach the Yellow Huge Materia when you have a mastered set of Manipulate, Deathblow, Morph, Throw, Sense and Steal Materias and perform a Materia Blend to receive a MASTER COMMAND MATERIA. Approach the Red Huge Materia when you have a mastered set of all sixteen Summon Materia and perform a Materia Blend to receive a MASTER SUMMON MATERIA. Performing a Materia Blend will require you to sacrifice all the corresponding mastered Materia. Your compensation will be the capacity to enjoy the abilities of all the lost Materia by equipping a single Materia. In the case of the Master Summon Materia, an additional benefit will be the capability of summoning any monster an infinite number of times per battle (providing you have enough MP, of course). Go to Cosmo Canyon with Red XIII in your party at any time once you've neutralized the threat Diamond Weapon poses to Midgar. When you visit Bugenhagen in the Observatory, he'll present you with the LIMITED MOON.

When you touch down in Midgar, follow Cait Sith to the right, open the access door, and take the ladder to Sector 8 Underground. Take the walkway on the right all the way to the far wall and pick up the ELIXIR and MEGALIXIR at opposite ends of the large pipes. Go back the way you came and take the long set of stairs to the lower area. Head left, climb the far ladder to reach a platform in the upper area, and open the chest to find the AEGIS ARMLET. Return to the lower area and head right until the floor drops out and you fall to the walkway below. Climb the ladders to the right, enter the duct at the opposite end of the walkway, and open the chests on this platform to find the STARLIGHT PHONE and an ELIXIR. Climb down the ladder to the right and enter Duct 42. Climb the ladder to the left and open the chest to find the MAX RAY. Return to the lower area and take the long set of steps, and enter the duct to the left.

Crawl to the opposite end of the duct and you'll reach the Winding Tunnel. Before heading for the Sister Ray, head for the extreme near end of the tunnel to pick up a few items. At Junction 3 you'll find a chest containing a POWER SOURCE, at Junction 2 you'll find a chest containing a GUARD SOURCE, and at Junction 1 you'll find chests containing a MIND SOURCE and a MAGIC SOURCE. At the tunnel's very end, you'll find the W-ITEM MATERIA*. When you go back the way you came and head for the far end of the tunnel, you'll bump into the Turks for the last time*. Deal with them and head for Junction 8.

Elena, Reno & Rude: During this battle, you'll want to be protected against Fire and Lightning. Equip the Tetra Elemental, a Fire Armlet with [Lightning]-[Elemental] or a Bolt Armlet with [Fire]-[Elemental] (there are other possibilities). You may also want to be protected against Confusion; equip the Ribbon or [Mystify, Contain or Hades]-[Added Effect]. Consider equipping the Sneak Glove on a character with Steal Materia. Begin by casting Haste and Barrier on your entire party. Dedicate your thief to stealing the MINERVA BAND from Elena, the TOUPH RING from Reno and the ZIEDRICH from Rude and have the others hammer away at the Turks once their pockets are empty. With the pillaging complete, Poison the whole gang and finish them with unrelenting attacks.

W-Item cheat: With the W-Item Materia equipped, you'll be able to take advantage of an apparent bug and amass an infinite stock of any item usable in battle. To make it easy for you, initiate combat with an extremely weak enemy and eliminate all but one opponent, then Manipulate the lucky survivor to hold it in stasis indefinitely. Use W-Item to select the item you wish to duplicate, then select any target and you'll see the quantity of that item drop by one. (NOTE: If you're trying to duplicate a rare item and you have only one, the item will disappear. Don't worry, the trick will still work, just proceed very slowly and deliberately until you've built up at least a small supply of that item). Then select any other item usable in battle (NOTE: Even though it won't be your intention to actually use these items, you may wish to choose your targets deliberately when dealing with dangerous items in case you accidentally use them), then cancel it. Your store of the first item will increase by one. Select and cancel until you fill your inventory. Now all you have to do is live with yourself for having cheated! The Turks: If you completed the Wutai Materia Hunter Optional Quest, you'll be given the option to decline the fight. However, the items you can steal from them are so valuable it'll be hard to seriously consider walking away from battle. The choice is yours.

If you wish to ransack Shinra Headquarters* before assaulting the Sister Ray, take the right path and proceed to Junction 0, take the left path, and climb the ladder. Otherwise, take the left path to go directly to Sector 8.

Climb the ladder to reach the street, defeat Proud Clod, and proceed to the next area. Open the chests to find an ELIXIR and a MYSTILE and use the Save Point to put Barret in your party if he isn't already. Climb the stairs and open the chest on the third landing to find the MISSING SCORE. Proceed to the top of the Mako Cannon and head left to confront Hojo. Defeat him and the Highwind will take you to the Northern Cave for the final showdown with Sephiroth.

Proud Clod:
There's no special preparation required for this fight as it will be an old-fashioned straightforward brawl. Select your best all-around armor and weapons and equip Materia and accessories that augment your statistics (such as Plus Materia, the Champion Belt and the Touph Ring). Double Cut, Slash-All, and as many Counter Attack Materia as you can carry are also excellent choices. Begin with the standard Big Guard and Regen opening, then focus your attacks on the Jamar Armor. With its defenses disabled, your attacks against Proud Clod will be more effective. Keep your party's HP at a safe level and use Limit Breaks as they become available and you should be victorious. [RAGNAROK]

Hojo:
Professor Hojo will attack you in three different forms and you'll need to be prepared to defend against them all from the very beginning as you won't get a break between battles. As Hojo, he can use the Capsule skill to summon a Bad Rap Sample and a Poodler Sample, all of which will bombard you with physical attacks. As Helletic Hojo and Lifeform-Hojo NA, he'll be able to inflict negative status effects including Sleep, Poison, Confusion, Silence and Slow. Protect yourself by selecting armor with high Defense, equip the Ribbon, and [Hades]-[Added Effect] will prevent all negative status effects except Slow. Raise your Vitality by equipping the Champion Belt or the Touph Ring and you should be well-prepared for the fight. Begin the first battle with Big Guard and Regen. Ignore Hojo's minions as he'll only revive them if you eliminate them. A few solid smacks should cause Hojo to transform into Helletic Hojo. The Right Arm can cause a large amount of damage, so make sure you Barrier remains in place. Keep your HP up and focus your attention on the main torso as he can regenerate his arms if you lop them off. Keep up the onslaught when he becomes Lifeform-Hojo NA and you'll soon extinguish Shinra's last remaining employee. [POWER SOURCE]

Shinra Headquarters:
If you didn't spot it during your first visit to the Shinra Bldg, this is your LAST CHANCE to read the Turtle's Paradise publicity flyer on the notice board at the rear of the 1f Lobby. In the 2f Shop, you'll find two chests containing the MASTER FIST and the PILE BANGER. On the 63f, you'll find the GROW LANCE in the room where you found the B Coupon during your first visit. On the 64f, you'll find the HP SHOUT in the far row of lockers in the locker room. If you spent 250 Gil in the vending machine for the Shinra Gym Special Drink, it'll finally dispense a SPEED SOURCE and a MIND SOURCE when you hit it. Lastly, you'll find the BEHEMOTH HORN in the near-endless stairwell.

Before you leave the Highwind, make sure you're properly prepared to face the perils of the Northern Cave. A large number of monsters (Gargoyle, Parasite, Scissors, Death Dealer, Allemagne, and Master Tonberry) can cause some form of Sudden Death. It's a very VERY good idea to protect yourself by equipping the Safety Bit or [Destruct or Odin]-[Added Effect] in your armor. If you find you simply cannot protect your entire party, always ALWAYS take your first turn to use Death Force on any unprotected characters at the beginning of any battle with the aforementioned creatures. Secondly, as many enemies have Level-based attacks, it's a good idea to monitor the levels of your party so you know which attacks will or will not effect you.

When you're ready, descend the rope ladder and head into the cave*. When you reach the path that spirals down into the cave, you'll notice a cave near the top. Know that you can take this passage and climb the cliff face immediately to the right to return to the Highwind. Open the first chest you pass to find the SAVE CRYSTAL and the second chest to find a GUARD SOURCE. In the next area, jump down the right and open the chests to find a GUARD SOURCE and a MIND SOURCE. Make your way up the left side and open the first two chests to find a MAGIC SOURCE and an ELIXIR. Climb up and open the chest in the upper-left corner to find a POWER SOURCE, pass behind the rock to the right to pick up an HP ABSORB MATERIA, and jump down to the next area. Jump down and walk to the right to drop down below. Open the chest on the left to find a MIND SOURCE, jump up to the next level, and head all the way left. Jump down, enter the cave and open the chest to find a MEGALIXIR, and go back the way you came. Head left to drop down below and open the chest on the right to find a HERO DRINK. Enter the nearby cave and open the first chest you pass to find a GUARD SOURCE. As you proceed along the path, use the tunnel in the upper-right corner to reach the chest containing a POWER SOURCE and exit the cave in the upper-left corner. Head all the way right to drop down again, jump down to the next level, proceed through the cave, and make your way down to the next area.

image: .jpg] The first time you reach the path below, you'll be prompted to split into two groups. Before you make your decision, there are a few things you should know. Each person you put in the group without Cloud will have a randomly-selected item from the path they took for you when you reach the bottom of the cave. The more people you send down the opposite path, the more items you'll get. What's more, if you head back through the opposite path after you reach the bottom of the cave and grab all the items before meeting the others at the edge of the pit, you'll still get the items from your allies. It's possible to get two of all the best items from whichever path Cloud's party doesn't take! Use this knowledge to choose which way you send each group.

The Right Path:
Proceed to the end of the spiraling path and climb down the stalactite to the path below. Open the chest to find the MYSTILE, grab the ELIXIR, and proceed to the next area. Open the chest on your left to find a SPEED SOURCE, open the chest on your right to find a TETRA ELEMENTAL, and open the two chests containing MEGALIXIRS in the upper-left and upper-right corners. Proceed to the next area and climb down the skeleton path to reach the bottom of the cave. (Enter the far-right cave if you want to explore the left path and you'll end up back at the bottom of the cave.)

The Left Path:
Take the first passage you come to and you'll find yourself at the edge of an eerie series of pools*. Jump down and head to the right, jump up to the rock, and open the chest at the left to find a MAGIC SOURCE. Head back the way you came and jump up to the rock on the left. Dive into the pool and you'll surface at the far-right path. Open the chest in the far-left corner to find a REMEDY and proceed to the next area. Head to the right on the circular path and open the chest to find a HERO DRINK. Head left and open the chest in the far-left corner to find a VACCINE. Pick up the SHIELD MATERIA on top of the nearby rock and dive into the pool to arrive near a chest containing an IMPERIAL GUARD. Dive off the near side of the rock to reach the path in the far-right corner and proceed to the next area. Make your way to the left and pick up the W-MAGIC MATERIA lying under the vegetation, grab the COUNTER MATERIA near the center of the glowing light, and go through the passage at the left to reach the bottom of the cave. Enter the far-right cave to reach the next area, jump to the right, and open the chest to find a TURBO ETHER. Head left and grab the MEGA ALL MATERIA as Cloud bounds past it (you may need to make several attempts) and open the chest to find a SPEED SOURCE. Make your way to the far-right corner and open the chest to find an X-POTION before proceeding to the next area. Make your way to the center of the area and open the chests along the way to find a VACCINE and a TURBO ETHER. Climb up and head into the next area. Head left and open the chest to find an X-POTION, jump to the far platform and open the chest to find a REMEDY, and head right and open the chest in the far-right corner to find an ELIXIR. Climb the stone steps on the left and enter the cave to reach the very first area of the left path. (If you wish to explore the right path, take the farthest path to return to the spot where the team split and head right to make your way back to the bottom of the cave.)

Eerie pools:
By far, the two pool areas in the Northern Cave comprise the best location for building EXP, AP and Gil in the entire game. Here you'll encounter creatures called Magic Pots. Grant their demands for an Elixir (a pittance if you're using the W-Item cheat) and you'll be able to defeat them to gain 8000 EXP, 1000 AP and 8500 Gil for each one! You'll also encounter Movers in groups of three. You won't receive any EXP when you defeat them, but you'll get 2400 AP and 90000 Gil! With EXP Plus and Gil Plus equipped as you run through this area, you'll inflate those figures even further. Inside the Northern Cave, you'll have a golden chance to add new Enemy Skills to your repertoire. You can learn L5 DEATH from the Parasite, DRAGON FORCE from a Dark Dragon, ANGEL WHISPER from the Pollensalta, ROULETTE from the Death Dealer and PANDORA'S BOX from the Dragon Zombie. You'll also have plenty of opportunities to add some of the older favorites.

Without a doubt the Bottom of the Cave is the best place to use the Save Crystal to create a Save Point. Do so the first time you reach this area and you won't regret it. Open the chest on the right to find a LUCK SOURCE and save your game. Make your way to the edge of the pit and talk to the teammates that didn't accompany Cloud. If you don't like the items they give you, restart and try again until you get the ones you want.

This is the point of no return. Don't descend into the pit unless you've accomplished everything you wish to accomplish. Once you set foot inside the planet, you'll be unable to get out. Use the cave in the far-right corner to make your way back to the Highwind if there's ANYTHING you feel you've left unfinished. When you're ready, head into the pit and make your way down the floating rocks to the arena of monoliths.

Unless you've been making a conscious effort to avoid extraneous level-building and you've taken only the absolutely necessary steps to get to this point, you should be far more than a match for Jenova-SYNTHESIS. It has three parts: the torso and two weaker tentacles. Its only offensive maneuvers are Ultima and rather feeble physical attacks. As you're a little beyond the point of worrying about Materia growth rates at this stage, you should be equipped with your strongest weapons and your best armor (probably the Mystile, the Ziedrich or the Aegis Armlet). Don't even bother preparing to use Magic or Summon attacks; physical attacks will make the quickest, tidiest work of Jenova. Equip Cloud with [Deathblow]-[Sneak Attack (mastered)], [Double Cut (Level 2 or higher)]-[HP Absorb] and Mega All; and equip your remaining characters with Mime or Master Command and link it with HP Absorb if possible. Fill in any remaining Materia slots with Plus and Counter Attack Materia and equip [Revive]-[Final Attack (mastered)] on someone with a mastered Mega All Materia if you simply must have insurance. The Champion Belt is probably the most useful accessory.

You'll start the battle by immediately executing a devastating physical attack against all three body parts (you may even take out one of the tentacles right away). Have the others Mime the attack and it should be enough to make both tentacles flop over limp. If not, have Cloud use 4x-Cut to finish the job and absorb a little HP in the process (it couldn't hurt). Have the others Mime the attack (and the HP absorption) repeatedly and you're likely to vanquish Jenova-SYNTHESIS before it can even begin the countdown to Ultima.

You'll drop down further inside the planet and face Sephiroth at last. Depending on how efficiently you disposed of Jenova-SYNTHESIS, you may be forced to fight Sephiroth with as many as three separate parties (if you struggled, you may face him with a single group, making the battle much less complicated). As you split into teams, keep in mind Cloud's party will be the one to see the fight through to its ultimate conclusion. Make sure EVERYONE is properly equipped to deal with Bizarro-Sephiroth (as the death of any one team will end your game), but take extra care to ensure Cloud's group is adequately prepared to face Safer-Sephiroth as well.

Put strong fighters, preferably those with multiple-strike Limit Breaks, in Cloud's party and balance the other groups by dividing the strongest and weakest of the remaining characters evenly between the parties. Equip everyone's strongest weapon. Both of Sephiroth's forms have a wide array of elemental and non-elemental attacks, but of primary concern is his ability to inflict multiple negative status effects. When it comes to selecting armor, the Mystile and the Aegis Armlet are excellent choices for their solid Defense and high evasion attributes; the Ziedrich has tremendous Defense and broad-spectrum elemental coverage; and the Escort Guard and Minerva Band with their useful elemental immunities are solid options as well. Equip Cloud's party with the best armor and give the best of what's left to everyone else. Equip Cloud's party with as many Ribbons as possible and do your best with accessories and Materia combinations to protect the others from Poison and Confusion. Keep the Materia configuration of Cloud's group as similar as possible to the one used during the Jenova-SYNTHESIS battle, adding Long Range Materia for Cloud and anyone else without a long range weapon. Distribute HP Plus Materia to those who need it the most and make sure each party has someone with the ability to counterattack. Fill any empty slots with Plus Materia and others more in keeping with your personal battle style.

Bizarro-Sephiroth has several body parts:
the main body, the Core, Left and Right Magic and the Head Portion. Your objective will be to destroy the Left and Right Magic to lower the Core's defense, destroy the Core, and then attack the main body. The Head Portion and Left and Right Magic are killed relatively easily, but Sephiroth can also revive them very quickly. It should be noted Bizarro-Sephiroth has an attack called Fallen Angel that reduces your entire party's HP to 1. Make sure you restore everyone immediately should this occur. If you're fighting with multiple parties, you'll be given the option to switch parties each time you destroy a body part. You'll begin with Cloud's party directly in front (unless you're fighting with two groups, in which case you'll start at one of the flanks). Cloud's Mega All Deathblow Sneak Attack should dish out enough of a whack to all the body parts to kill at least the Head Portion if not the Left and Right Magic as well. Switch immediately to one of your flanking parties (unless, of course, you're fighting with fewer than three groups, in which case either you'll be without a flanking party or you'll already be there). Lower the Core's defense by destroying the Magic on that flank, then target the Core until it dies. Switch to the other flanking party and deliver a similar treatment to the Magic and Core on that flank to bring down the defense of the main Core. Switch to Cloud's party and eliminate the Core before turning your attention to the main body. If your Limit gauge fills, save it for the next fight. Use Deathblow or Mime another person's attack. Safer-Sephiroth's statistics differ depending on Cloud's Level.

If Cloud is at an extremely high Level, Safer-Sephiroth will be significantly stronger and fight more viciously. That being said, you should be able to best him with little difficulty. Open with Big Guard and Regen (or a Megalixir if you're really desperate), and/or unleash any Limit Breaks you may have built up. If Sephiroth even survives your first volley of attacks, have Cloud use 4x-Cut (four full-strength hits should absorb almost 4000 HP) and have the others Mime the attack. Break off as needed to restore, cure negative status effects, or cast DeBarrier on Sephiroth in response to Wall. With victory seemingly in your grasp, Sephiroth will drag Cloud solo into the Lifestream for one last confrontation. You'll start the battle with a full Limit gauge and Omnislash begging to be used. If you've never seen this Limit Break before, I suggest you take this opportunity to bask in its magnificence. In any case, everything else will be out of your hands...

In the heart of the Junon Area, a giant condor warming its eggs high atop the Mako Reactor is the subject of a long-standing struggle between Shinra and the naturalists encamped at Fort Condor. Shinra rushed troops to the area in a campaign to seize a type of special Materia alleged to be inside the reactor. The residents of Fort Condor believe Shinra's designs threaten the survival of the extremely rare animal and its offspring. If you wish to join the fight to save to condor and pick up some useful items in the process, head for the base of the mountain and talk to the sentry outside to gain access to the fort. Talk to the old man sitting at the table to make your assistance official and head for the lookout bunker at the top of the stairs in the upper-left corner. Talk to the old man's son and he can explain the Fort Condor mini-game in abundant detail, telling you much much more than you need to know. If getting the items is your primary interest over relishing the finer possibilities of this game-within-a-game, you may wish to forego his briefing. It's unclear what if any benefit arises from contributing funds, so it's best to skip that as well and proceed directly to the fight.

Your task is simple. Hire troops and position them [O] to defend the shed at the top of the mountain. Advance on your enemies and defeat the enemy Commander to win the battle (you can also win by wiping out the enemy force before the Commander arrives on the battlefield). For leading the mercenary army to victory, the old man's son will present you with an item recovered from the battlefield. If any enemy reaches the shed, your party will have to fight the Cmd. Grand Horn in person. In this scenario, you won't get an item from the old man's son; however, you can get some rare items when you defeat the Cmd. Grand Horn.

Though the number of enemies increases with each battle, the strategy remains the same. Place a line of Fighters and Attackers at the lower limit of friendly territory, adding one or two Repairers if you'd like a little insurance. Start the battle [X] and decrease the battle speed [L1] to minimum while you deploy your troops. Move all of your fighters down the mountain toward the two locations where enemies appear. Send any Repairers close to the action, but keep them out of harms way in the beginning. When the soldiers have their orders, increase the battle speed [R1] to maximum and watch the action unfold. Make sure your forces continue to push toward the base of the mountain and you'll stifle the enemy's attack, getting the jump on enemies as they arrive on the field. If a soldier takes a lot of damage, you may want to withdraw and send in a Repairer to administer first aid. When it's all over, you'll receive an amount of Gil for each surviving ally. Keep in mind though, you'll spend less money if you hire fewer troops at the start. If you underestimate the enemy, you can always slow down the battle and place new troops further up the mountain. New battles will become available with almost every town you visit. The noteworthy items become available as you progress through the game (about every other chance you have to fight). You'll receive them one after the other in a set order until you've found the most-recently-available noteworthy item. Until the next noteworthy item becomes available, you'll receive a decent consolation package of items. Your last chance to fight at Fort Condor will be before you head for the Crater early on Disc 2.

Yuffie can be found wandering around in any of the world's forests. You'll encounter her as you would an enemy and she'll be identified as Mystery Ninja. Defeat her in battle and you'll be taken to a field where Yuffie lies prostrate near a Save Point. DO NOT USE THE SAVE POINT or do anything else that will cause you to leave the Field Screen and lose sight of Yuffie. If you do, she'll vanish and steal a fistful of Gil. If you wish to convince her to join your party, you must talk to her and say all the right things during the ensuing conversation. Listed below are the appropriate responses to Yuffie's comments. "One more time, let's go one more time!" [Not interested]

The Gold Saucer is the mega amusement park proudly sprouting from the heart of the Corel Desert. It's the home to endless hours of mini-game shenanigans to divert you from your search for Sephiroth. It's also home to an enormous wealth of items and Materia you can't get anywhere else. The only way to reach it is by tram from the Ropeway Station in North Corel. Listed below are the attractions that hold the majority of what the Gold Saucer has to offer.

You must purchase a pass from the hostess near the entrance if you want to get in. If you intend to be a regular visitor to the Saucer, it's in your best interest to purchase a lifetime pass, a.k.a. the GOLD TICKET, @ 30000 Gil as soon as you can afford it. Otherwise, each single admission will cost you 3000 Gil. Every time you enter the Station, there's a slim chance a person willing to exchange Gil for GP at a rate of 100 to 1 (to a maximum of 100 GP) will appear next to the house in the far-left corner. Early in the game, leaving and re-entering the Saucer until he appears can be the least troublesome way to secure a decent amount of GP in a short amount of time. However, keep in mind most of the games in Wonder Square have a comparable or better return ratio (providing, of course, you can master them). Once you own a thoroughbred Class S Chocobo, the races will probably be the most reliable way to amass GP quickly.

The Gold Gate
Your link to the Gold Saucer's attractions. From here you can have a look at the Directory, visit the Ghost Hotel, or stop by Round Square and take a gondola tour of the park @ 3 GP.

Wonder Square is a multi-level video game arcade. Most of the games found here will pay out a small amount of GP if you win or achieve a high enough score. In addition, many will also dispense an item the first time you do so. On the first floor, you'll find a hostess standing near the entrance. Talk to her and you'll be able to exchange the Gold Saucer's proprietary currency for the following items:

-Potion @ 1 GP
-Ether @ 20 GP
-X-Potion @ 80 GP
-Turbo Ether @ 100 GP
-Gold Ticket @ 300 GP
-Carob Nut @ 500 GP
-Gil Plus Materia* @ 1,000 GP
-EXP Plus Materia* @ 2,000 GP

ARM WRESTLING MEGA SUMO
[100 Gil]: Arm wrestle your opponent by rapidly pressing [O]. Defeat the Sumo Wrestler and win 1 GP. Defeat the Wrestler and win 2 GP.

WONDER CATCHER
[100 Gil]: Insert coin, get shafted. Prizes include a small amount of GP, a POTION, and squat. You have a microscopic chance of winning a decent amount of GP but, as you should when you see these things in bowling alleys and carnival midways in real life, just say no.

SUPER DUNK
[200 Gil]: A basketball game. You'll win 1 GP for each basket scored. Every time you sink ten in a row, you'll get a chance to double your GP (miss and you'll walk away with only 1 GP). If you can master the timing, this game has the potential to be the fastest way to gather GP.

3D BATTLER
[200 Gil]: Tussle with a holographic opponent Paper Scissors Rock style. The first fighter to score ten hits wins. The longer you survive, the more GP you'll win.

MOG HOUSE
[100 Gil]: Mog is an adolescent Mog living in Mog Forest on Mt. Mog. It's time for Mog to find a mate and part of the mating ritual demands he learns to fly. During his training, help him out by feeding him Kupo nuts [O]. You'll be able to judge how many to feed him by his reactions. If he needs another nut, his tummy will rumble. When he's had enough (five to be exact), he'll squeak and jump for joy. When a she-Mog shows up the next day, it's time for the real thing. Help him again (three Kupo nuts this time) and everyone will live happily ever after. After your first win, talk to the stumped gamer nearby and he'll give you 30 GP.

G-BIKE
[200 Gil]: The arcade version of your encounter with the Shinra Pursuit Troops during your escape from Midgar. Post an average score and you'll win 2 GP. Score at least 10000 points and you'll receive 10 GP (and a SPEED SOURCE this first time you do so).

SNOW BOARD
[200 Gil]: This game won't be playable until after you make the descent from Icicle Inn to the Great Glacier. In the arcade version, there are three courses: Beginner, Expert and Crazy. Complete each course as quickly as possible, avoiding obstacles and collecting points for breaking balloons (red = 1 point, blue = 3 points, green = 5 points). It's probably best to edge [R1] most of the time because it will increase your maneuverability. At the end, you'll be given an overall score: Technique (ability to negotiate the course sans bail, out of 30), Time (out of 30) and Balloon (out of 40). Achieve a Good rating (70 or higher) to open the next course. The first time you score 90 or better on a course you'll receive: Beginner = [30 GP + SAFETY BIT], Expert = [100 GP + ALL MATERIA], Crazy = [300 GP + CRYSTAL BANGLE]. Achieve a Good rating on all three courses and a yellow balloon will appear at the beginning of the run; grab it to enter Time Attack mode. All obstacles will disappear and your objective will be to post the fastest time. The course record will be represented by a ghost moogle. Rumor has it achieving a Super rating in Time Attack mode for all courses will unlock a new ghost to trace your personal best.

TORPEDO ATTACK
[200 Gil]: You won't be able to play this game until after the submarine chase at the Underwater Reactor. In the arcade version, your objective will be to destroy the entire enemy submarine fleet. You'll have five missions to choose from: the Undersea Mako Reactor Battle and Levels 1 through 4. The basic strategy remains the same, however you'll probably need to check your long-range sonar [R1] more often to locate the remaining subs. None of the missions are overly difficult. Complete the mission and you'll receive 20 GP. The first time you do so you'll also receive: Undersea Mako Reactor Battle = INK, Level 1 = T/S BOMB, Level 2 = DRAGON FANG, Level 3 = DRAGON SCALES, Level 4 = CAULDRON.

In essence this attraction is one huge psychedelic shooting gallery. From the nauseating comfort of your lurching roller coaster, your objective will be to shoot down a dizzying array of objects of varying point-value as they speed past. The first time you want to ride it, you'll have to talk to the hostess on the left and listen to the rules. If you can decipher her flaky dialogue, you'll understand it's better to fire in short bursts. Your power gauge won't drain as quickly and your shots will be stronger. Be persistent and memorize the order of the targets. There are several special objects you should watch out for to help you increase your score: a yellow boulder high on a cliff is worth 200 points, the large UFO is worth 1000 points, and an invisible target near the end of the course is worth another 200 points. Good luck. Score at least 3000 points and you'll receive one of the following: 1/35 SOLDIER, SUPER SWEEPER, MASAMUNE BLADE. The first time you score at least 5000 points on Disc 1, you'll receive the UMBRELLA, a powerful weapon for Aeris. On Disc 2 (and later) repeat the task and you'll win the FLAYER, a weapon for Cid.

Battle Square is the pride and joy, the favorite attraction of the proprietor of the Gold Saucer, Dio. You won't get to look around and try out the Battle Arena during your initial visit to the Saucer. But it's definitely worth a return trip after you've won your freedom from Corel Prison for the chance to win some of the best items in the game, including Cloud's awesome Level 4 Limit Break, OMNISLASH. The basic premise is simple: a lone warrior will step into the Battle Arena, face a series of up to eight battles, and receive BP according to the difficulty of the fight. Use the machine in the near-right corner to exchange your BP for the following items (Item @ [BP needed: Early Disc 1]/[Late Disc 1]/[Disc 2 and later]):

-Potion @ [80]/[-]/[-] BP
-Phoenix Down @ [160]/[100]/[-] BP
-Shrapnel @ [320]/[-]/[-] BP
-Ether @ [640]/[-]/[-] BP
-Remedy @ [-]/[200]/[100] BP
-Mimmet Greens @ [1,280]/[400]/[-] BP
-Fury Ring @ [2,560]/[-]/[-] BP
-Enemy Lure Materia @ [5,120]/[800]/[250] BBP
-Bird Wing @ [-]/[1,600]/[-] BP
-S-mine @ [-]/[3,200]/[-] BP
-Right Arm @ [-]/[-]/[500] BP
-Pre-Emptive Materia @ [10,240]/[6,400]/[11,,000] BP
-Reagan Greens @ [-]/[-]/[2,000] BP
-Speed Plus Materia @ [20,480]/[12,800]/[44,,000] BP
-Stardust @ [-]/[-]/[8,000] BP
-Champion Belt @ [40,960]/[25,600]/[16,0000]] BP
-Omnislash @ [-]/[51,200]/[32,000] BP
-W-Summon Materia @ [-]/[-]/[64,000] BP

Talk to the hostess behind the counter on the far side of the room and, for the low low price of 10 GP, you'll be allowed to enter the Arena. At the end of each round, you'll be presented with the option to quit or to keep going to the next battle. If you quit, you'll walk away with the BP you've earned to that point. If you proceed, you'll be forced to spin a slot machine to determine your handicap for the next round. Handicaps are cumulative and range from mildly annoying but curable status effects to the potentially crippling loss of all your Materia. Since your main objective is accumulating BP, it's in your best interest to try to put yourself at the greatest disadvantage, especially in the final round (All Materia Broken and Magic Materia Broken seem to be worth the most). Keep in mind however, if you lose or escape from any battle, you'll leave the Arena empty-handed. Almost. Win or lose, you'll always receive a TISSUE as consolation.

Since Materia doesn't grow in the Battle Arena, your only concern should be equipping the best weapon and most-useful armor (with an adequate number of Materia slots). It's also a good idea to protect yourself from negative status by equipping an accessory such as the Ribbon (or Materia linked to Added Effect if you have the extra space). The best strategy is to diversify your equipment so you'll have plenty of options should an entire class of abilities get wiped out. Excellent choices include [Hades]-[Added Effect] in your weapon, Mega All and a fully-loaded Enemy Skill Materia. With this set-up, you'll be able to attack an entire group of enemies simultaneously, with a good chance of causing some very useful status effects (if you're in rough enough shape, the ability to inflict Poison may be the only way for you to cause damage). Plus Materia and several Counter Attack Materia are also sound choices. Make sure you cast Haste (or use Big Guard) on yourself in the very first round as the effect will remain for the duration of your stay in the Arena and you may not have the ability to do so later. You can accumulate a maximum of 65,000 BP. DO NOT leave the lobby, even to go to the Museum, or you'll lose all your BP. Whatever you intend to do, you must do it in a single visit.

The woman at the foot of the steps outside the lobby, the one who likes fighters but hates those who are all talk, will give you SPRINT SHOES when you talk to her after the first time you win a full series of eight battles. After you retrieve Cloud from the Lifestream near Mideel, you'll be able to participate in the fabled 'special battle' in the Battle Arena. But first you must meet a list of pre-requisites: purchase the Omnislash and the W-Summon Materia, obtain the Ultima Weapon from Ultimate Weapon, and accumulate at least 64,000 BP; then talk to the hostess and Cloud will be invited to participate. The special battles are extremely difficult. The first time you win a full series of eight, Dio will give you the FINAL ATTACK MATERIA.

The first time you come to the Gold Saucer, the only thing you'll be able to do at Chocobo Square is bet on the Class B or C Chocobo Races. If you're interested, talk to the receptionist behind the Bookmaker's desk. Based solely on the raw attributes of the six competitors, your task will be to surmise which two Chocobos will finish first and second and purchase the corresponding tickets. If you win, you can exchange your ticket for either an item or GP. You won't be able to win any items of note until you can bet on Class A and S races, and you won't be able to do that until you own a Class A or C Chocobo yourself. Unless there's fair dinkum working-class Australian blood coursing through your veins, this probably isn't the best way to go about getting the items available here.

Visit Chocobo Square once you have a Chocobo of your own and you'll be able to enter your mount in the Chocobo Races. Talk to Ester near the door to the Staff Room and she'll register you. All Chocobos start out at Class C. When you win three races in your class, you'll move up to the next class. With the proper preparation, most regular Chocobos should be capable of achieving Class S. However; due to their disadvantage on steep inclines, over water and in other hazards; you may find it difficult to win there. More often than not, you'll be up against Joe and his Black Chocobo, Teioh. Until you've bred a special Chocobo, he'll be nearly impossible to beat. With a Gold Chocobo, you'll almost never lose.

Before the race begins, you'll probably want to press [SELECT] and take manual control of your Chocobo.

During the race, holding [R1 + R2] to continually recover your stamina is absolutely essential, especially in the higher classes. It's usually best to sprint [T] out of the gate to build up a decent lead, taking care to keep your stamina gauge at least one-quarter full. Keep your speed at maximum [O] and use the middle portion of the race to recover your stamina. Sprint again during the home stretch and you should be able to win. You may have to get physical and block another Chocobo from passing you to preserve your lead. Win the race and you'll receive the item (or its value in GP) indicated on the winning ticket. The first time you win ten Class S races, Ester will give you a prize package that includes SPRINT SHOES, a PRECIOUS WATCH, a CAT'S BELL, a CHOCOBRACELET, and a COUNTER ATTACK MATERIA. Items you can win as a Chocobo jockey include those found in Ester's prize package plus COUNTER MATERIA, ENEMY AWAY MATERIA, SNEAK ATTACK MATERIA and MAGIC COUNTER MATERIA.

Gongaga Village is conspicuously situated in the center of a roughly-circular forest south of the Gold Saucer. If you undertake this quest before your first visit to Cosmo Canyon, you'll encounter the Turks when you enter the jungle outskirts. RENO AND RUDE: Keep in mind as soon as you defeat either of them, both will pull out of the battle. If you intend to claim both items, you'll have to defeat them simultaneously or find a way to keep the survivor on the battlefield. Fortunately, both are quite vulnerable to Sleep; equip the [Seal]-[All] combination. Reno and Rude employ some strong Fire-based attacks. Equip a Fire-element Materia (Fire or Ifrit) and Elemental Materia in linked slots on the armor of one of the members of your party and the Fire Ring on a different character to reduce the effectiveness of the Turks' attacks. Begin by putting both enemies to Sleep (Sleepel or Frog Song) and follow up by using Sense to monitor their HP. Use magic and summon attacks to reduce their HP without waking them up. When Reno and Rude have around 100 HP remaining, use any strong attack that targets all opponents to defeat both men at the same time. [FAIRY TALE + X-POTION] After the battle, head down the far path to the core of the ruined reactor. Once Scarlet has completed her inspection, examine the spot where she was standing and you'll find the TITAN MATERIA. Return to the fork in the jungle path, head left, and pick up the DEATHBLOW MATERIA on the left path. Take the far path to reach Gongaga Village and go to the Weapon Store (the first building on the left) for your earliest chance to acquire a FURY RING @ 5000 Gil, MYSTIFY MATERIA @ 6000 Gil and TIME MATERIA @ 6000 Gil. Visit the Inn in the far-left corner of the village and open the chest in the first room to find an X-POTION. Stop by the Mayor's Home in the far-right corner of the village and open the chest against the far wall to find the WHITE M-PHONE.

Vincent lies sleeping in a coffin behind a locked door in the basement of the Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim. The letters lying on the floor in the near-left corner of the foyer mention a safe and contain four hints regarding the combination. Listed below you'll find each clue followed by a description of its meaning:

1. [The lid of the box with the most oxygen.] Of the four rooms containing chests, the one filled with plants is likely to be the most oxygen-rich. After you open the chest in the atrium on the second floor, examine it and you'll find "Right 36" written on the back of the lid.

2. [Behind the Ivory's short of tea and ray.] 'The Ivories' is another way to refer to a piano and Ti and Re are the names of musical notes, so it's a good bet you're looking for the large room in the far-left corner of the first floor of the mansion. Examine the area behind the piano in the near-right corner of the room and you'll find "Left 10" written on the floor.

3. [The creek in the floor near the chair on the second floor... then to the left five steps, up nine steps, left two steps, and up six steps.] 'The chair on the second floor' refers to the chair against the near wall in the room with the secret passage to the basement. Follow the instructions and you should end up in the middle of the hall outside the far-right room. Examine that spot and you'll find "Right 59" written on the floor.

4. The fourth hint is written in invisible ink on the letter itself. Position the cursor where the fourth hint should be and press [O] and you'll see the last number is Right 97.

With the combination in hand [Right 36-Left 10-Right 59-Right 97], head for the only safe in the building, located in the far-left room on the second floor. Once you begin cracking the safe, you'll have 20 seconds to enter the combination. It's much more difficult than it seems. The dial is very touchy and even the slightest mistake will spoil the attempt. When you succeed, you'll be thrust into battle with Lost Number.

LOST NUMBER: It's important to attack as quickly as possible during this battle; equip the [Time]-[All] combination. Lost Number is a strong beast with powerful attacks, both physical and magical. Fortunately, it's vulnerable to Paralysis and Stop. Begin the battle by summoning Choco/Mog or use Aeris' Seal Evil Limit Break as soon as it becomes available. Cast Haste on your entire party and hammer away with your strongest attacks. Once you've caused significant damage, one half of the creature will die and the other half will take over. If the last hit before Lost Number's transformation is a magic attack, the left side will survive and have a very high resistance to magic. If the last hit is physical, the right side will survive and have a very high resistance to physical attacks. Use Choco/Mog or Seal Evil again and exploit the mutant form's particular weakness. [COSMO MEMORY] With the safe open, examine it and you'll find the BASEMENT KEY. Pick up the ODIN MATERIA and head for the basement. Just outside the library, you'll find Vincent's chamber. Open the door and examine the coffin in the center of the room to speak with him. Talk to him about Sephiroth and he'll return to the coffin. Talk to him a second time then leave the room. On your way out of the basement, Vincent will stop you and join your party.

If you've completed the Yuffie Kisaragi Optional Quest and she's in your party when the Tiny Bronco splashes down during your flight from Rocket Town, she'll make a suspicious suggestion to head west. If she's said enough to pique your curiosity and you're interested in picking up an unbelievable number of valuable items, travel to the world's west-most island and disembark at its southern tip. Before you venture north into the mountains, consider taking the time to explore the area. Track down a Razor Weed and learn its MAGIC HAMMER Enemy Skill. Comb the beach and fight a few Adamantaimai to learn the DEATH FORCE Enemy Skill and steal a supply of ADAMAN BANGLES (you'll need them very soon). When you're ready, begin the hike north.

Shortly after the start of your trek, Yuffie will stop you and caution you of the dangers ahead. Before you can get to the bottom of her unusual behavior, you'll be accosted by Shinra soldiers. During the battle, you'll be inexplicably limited to using normal attacks and items. After you defeat the Attack Squad, you'll discover the reason: Yuffie has stolen all your Materia! You'll have little choice but to proceed north without it and hunt her down. Before leaving the Wilderness, take the time to re-equip your party. As Materia slots and growth rates will be irrelevant for the time being, equip your strongest weapons, don your set of Adaman Bangles, and get to Wutai on the opposite side of the mountains as fast as you can.

When you arrive in Wutai, you'll catch a fleeting glimpse of the traitorous pickpocket before she vanishes. Talk to the person wandering near the path in the far-left corner of town and you'll be told to seek Lord Godo. Proceed to the next area and enter Lord Godo's house on the right. Use the guestroom to rest for free, draw the curtain in the near-left corner, and open the chest at the opposite end of the secret passage to find the MAGIC SHURIKEN. Take the hallway to the right, enter the near room, and examine the wall in the near-left corner. Open the chest at the opposite end of the secret passage to find the HAIRPIN. Enter the far room and talk to Lord Godo until Yuffie shows up. After she runs off, return to the town and head for Turtle's Paradise in the near-left corner (refer to the Turtle's Paradise Optional Quest for further details about activities related to this fine drinking establishment). Talk to the Turks, go outside, and enter the Item Store in the far-left corner. As soon as you open the chest and hold aloft the MP ABSORB MATERIA, Yuffie will appear and snatch it away from you. Go to the Old Man's House in the near-right corner of town and pull back the dressing screen to send the little hooligan scampering again. Find the quivering jar outside Turtle's Paradise and pound on it until Yuffie pops out, captured at last, and leads you to her house to return the Materia. Follow her into the next room and pull the lever on the far side of the room. Pull the lever again to release your teammates and head for the area outside Lord Godo's house. Pass through the gate on the left and strike the gong to reveal a hidden door. Enter and you'll discover Yuffie and Elena have been captured by Don Corneo. Open the chest on the right to find a SWIFT BOLT and the chest on the left to find an ELIXIR and chase Corneo up the stairs. Defeat the Attack Squad, go outside and talk to Reno, and head for the Da-chao Statue located down the path in the far-right corner of town. Take the path that leads over the center figure's left shoulder and cross to the left behind its head. Take the near path to find Corneo and his captives, and defeat Rapps.

RAPPS:
Rapps is a formidable opponent. It can use strong physical attacks and Aero3, an extremely potent magic attack that can cause upwards of 1500 points of damage to any single party member. Consider choosing the two characters with the most HP to join Cloud during this battle and begin with everyone at full-strength. Equip their strongest weapons and armor with the highest Magic def. Equip the Fury Ring on your strongest team member (most likely Cloud), in effect dedicating that person to attacking full-time. The primary responsibility of the others will be counteracting Rapps' attacks with curative items. Each time you're hit with Aero3, respond with an X-Potion (or a Phoenix Down + X-Potion one-two if the situation calls for it) immediately. However, it's a good idea to completely fill the Limit gauge of one if not both 'healers' before the fight begins to give them a chance to lop off a healthy chunk of HP if they get the chance. Use one Limit Break at a time. WAIT until the first character is ready to take over medic duty before unleashing the second Limit Break. If you're willing to risk it, use any subsequent spare moments to hurl strong attack items at the enemy. [PEACE RING]

After the battle, Yuffie will hand over the Materia and re-join the party. But before you return to whatever mode of transport brought you to the island, consider heading back into Wutai for a second helping of Optional Quest loveliness. Proceed to the Pagoda of the Five Mighty Gods Optional Quest...

Power Source
Guard Source
Magic Source
Mind Source
Speed Source
Luck Source
Megalixir

Turtle's Paradise, Wutai's world-famous pub, is having a publicity flyer campaign. The owner is offering a prize to anyone who can find and read all six flyers posted in various locations all over the world. Listed below you'll find each numbered flyer and a detailed description of where it's located.

Turtles Paradise News No. 1 [Midgar Sector 5 Slum]:
Enter the house in the near-right corner of town and go upstairs to the boy's room. You'll find it posted on the wall to the left of the dresser.

Turtle's Paradise Newsletter No. 2 [Shinra Bldg 1f Lobby]:
You'll find it posted on the right side of the notice board in the far-right corner of the lobby. You MUST read this flyer during one of your two visits to Shinra Headquarters.

Turtle's Paradise No. 3 [Gold Saucer Ghost Hotel]:
You'll find it posted on the wall to the left of the entrance to the Item Store.

Turtle Paradise Newsletter Number 4 [Cosmo Canyon]:
You'll find it posted between the staircase and the Weapon Shop.

Turtle's Paradise No. 5 [Cosmo Canyon]:
Go to Pub Starlet and take the stairs to reach the front desk for the Shildra Inn. You'll find it posted on the wall.

Turtle's Paradise No. 6 [Wutai (Yuffie's House)]:
Go to the basement of Yuffie's House. You'll find it posted on the wall outside the training hall.

Once you've read all six flyers, return to Turtle's Paradise in Wutai and talk to the owner behind the bar. He'll congratulate you with a POWER SOURCE, a GUARD SOURCE, a MAGIC SOURCE, a MIND SOURCE, a SPEED SOURCE, a LUCK SOURCE and a MEGALIXIR.

HP Absorb Materia X-Potion Turbo Ether Ice Ring Elixir All Creation Leviathan Materia On the distant side of Wutai, at the far end of the path outside Godo's House, stands the Pagoda of the Five Mighty Gods. It's a rite of passage for local warriors who wish to prove their battle prowess to climb the Pagoda and challenge the Gods of Power, Speed, Magic, War, and Omni in a series of one-on-one duels. Return to Wutai after completing the Wutai Materia Hunter Optional Quest and Yuffie will be allowed to take the test*. Make sure she's in your party and properly prepared to fight on her own, then head for the Pagoda and talk to the master of each floor to initiate combat. [*NOTE: You'll now be able to climb the stairs in the Cat's House (located just below Yuffie's House) and open the chest at the near end of the second floor hallway to find an HP ABSORB MATERIA. You'll also have the opportunity to patronize the Weapon Store (between the Old Man's House and Turtle's Paradise) and purchase the MURASAME @ 6500 Gil, the DIAMOND KNUCKLE @ 5800 Gil, the CHAINSAW @ 6300 Gil, the AURORA ROD @ 5800 Gil, the GOLD BARRETTE @ 6000 Gil, the SLASH LANCE @ 6500 Gil, the BLUE M-PHONE @ 5500 Gil and the SHORTBARREL @ 6400 Gil. At the very least, consider purchasing the RAZOR RING @ 6000 Gil for Yuffie.] All five Gods have the same status vulnerabilities and therefore can be approached with a more-or-less universal preparation and battle strategy. The Gods are weak against Slow and Stop; equip [Time]-[Added Effect] in Yuffie's weapon. Since frozen opponents cannot evade D.blow, you may wish to equip the Deathblow Materia. Equip at least one Counter Attack Materia and an Enemy Skill Materia with Magic Hammer, White Wind and Big Guard (one without Trine if you intend to take advantage of Godo's ability to use it). The Gods are also weak against Poison status, consider equipping Poison Materia. Fill any remaining slots with Plus Materia.

Begin each battle with the Big Guard Enemy Skill to endow yourself with Haste, Barrier and MBarrier; then follow up by completely siphoning your opponent's MP with Magic Hammer. In the meantime, any attacks against you will have a good chance of eliciting a counter attack that can cause Slow and, with luck, Stop. Poison your opponent by casting Bio if you feel it's necessary and maintain your HP with White Wind or X-Potions (what a pleasant coincidence the Bizarre Bugs in Wutai so readily drop them). If all goes well, you'll be facing a paralyzed sluggish adversary with steadily waning HP as you turn to physical attacks for the remainder of the fight.

GORKII:
Gorkii can cast Demi2; you may wish to supplement your preparation with the [Gravity]-[Elemental] defensive combination. He also has the ability to cast Reflect on himself. Should this happen, skip the MP-draining step and proceed directly to physical attacks. [X-POTION]

SHAKE:
The first four Gods have an additional weakness against Paralysis. You may wish to chuck a handful of Dazers at Shake for the sure-fire freeze if his attacks start to get the better of you. [TURBO ETHER]

CHEKHOV:
Chekhov will take copious advantage of her ability to cause Paralysis unless you equip the Jem Ring before confronting her on the third floor. Without the effects of Stare Down, she won't have a prayer against you. [ICE RING]

STANIV:
Staniv's War Cry can cause Sadness; equip the Peace Ring if you don't have any Hyper to cure yourself before the battle with Godo. [ELIXIR]

GODO:
Godo is the only God that puts up a respectable fight. It has three faces, each with a distinct fighting style and set of skills. The red face can use the Trine Enemy Skill and wields the Beast Sword, capable of doing a decent amount damage. The white face can cast Bio2, Demi3, and magic that severely drains your HP. The yellow face can cast Sleepel and Cure2 (most likely, it can do so often enough to comfortably keep pace with the damage you incur). To prepare, outfit your armor to protect you from whichever element you feel threatens you the most (probably Gravity) and equip the Headband to stay awake at the wheel. Godo has A LOT of MP. The MP disposal phase of this battle will take a fair amount of time and require great discipline (but in the end it'll prove well worth the effort). You'll probably want to maintain a Big Guard (to replace exhausted barriers), White Wind (to restore HP or cure Poison) or X-Potion, Magic Hammer, rinse, repeat cycle. Use Limit Breaks at convenient moments whenever they become available as your Limit gauge should fill repeatedly throughout the battle. When all your hard work is done, Godo should be Slowed and incapable of anything but the Beast Sword, which won't be enough to stop you. When you win, you'll receive Yuffie's Level 4 Limit Break. [ALL CREATION]

When you pass the test, Godo will give you the LEVIATHAN MATERIA and share a private father-daughter Kodak moment with Yuffie.

Once you've been to the Underwater Reactor in Junon and taken the Leviathan Scales from the submarine dock, you'll be able to access a new area in Wutai where you'll find even more wonderful items. Head for the Da-chao Statue and take the path that leads over the center figure's left shoulder and left behind its head. A short distance up the far path and you'll see the entrance to the Fire Cavern. Go inside and open the first chest to find the DRAGOON LANCE (NOTE: You may have grabbed this weapon the very first time you visit the Da-chao Statue, but it's listed here for organizational purposes).

Deeper inside the cave, you'll see supernatural flames billowing out of the rock. If you'd inadvertently gotten too close to them in the past, their intense heat would've blocked your access to the rest of the Cavern. With the Leviathan Scales in hand, you'll be able to extinguish the flames and reach two chests containing STEAL AS WELL MATERIA and the ORITSURU.

Bolt Ring Mythril Gold Armlet Great Gospel Once you've gotten the Buggy from Dio at the Gold Saucer, you'll be able cross the river in the Junon Area and reach the cave at its northern perimeter. (NOTE: To get the Buggy across the inland sea, you must drive it into Costa del Sol, head for the port, and stow away aboard the Cargo Ship. When you arrive in Junon, the Buggy will be waiting for you when you leave the city. To return, drive into Under Junon and call Mr. Dolphin at the Dolphin Offing to take you back aboard the Cargo Ship.) Inside the cave, you'll find an old man asleep on his bed. When you talk to him, he'll randomly mumble either the number of battles you've fought, the number of times you've escaped, or something alluding to the relationship of Huge Materia and Master Materia.

When the last two digits in the number of battles you've fought match, the old man will wake up when you talk to him and give you an item. If the last two digits are even, he'll give you a BOLT RING. If the last two digits are odd, he'll give you a piece of MYTHRIL (NOTE: You can get a second piece of Mythril from him if you've already given away the first.)

Once you've gotten the Tiny Bronco from Rocket Town, you'll find the Weapon Seller at his home in the northeastern part of the Gongaga Area. Talk to him and change the subject and he'll tell you he's been having trouble getting materials to make weapons. Give him a piece of Mythril and he'll let you open either the large chest near the door or the safe on the upper floor. Open the chest and you'll find a GOLD ARMLET. Open the safe and you'll find the GREAT GOSPEL, Aeris' Level 4 Limit Break.

After you've recovered Cloud from the Lifestream near Mideel, you'll find a man who's lost his key standing outside the gate to Midgar. It's his sneaking suspicion he lost it while he was on an excavation tour. It's a good bet you're familiar with the place he's talking about. Pilot the Highwind to the Icicle Area and head for Bone Village. Talk to the 'guy in the tent' and start diggin' for 'Normal treasure'. There are at least three different places the KEY TO SECTOR 5 could be (near the former location of the Lunar Harp, near the top of the ladder, near the nose of the crashed jet; there are probably more), so it's a good idea to place all five staff members strategically covering the entire site. Relatively speaking, the margin for error is much smaller than for the other items. (NOTE: You just have to dig in one of the correct locations, not necessarily the one the workers are pointing to.)

When you have the Key, return to Midgar and let yourself into the Sector 5 Slum. If you haven't spotted the Turtle's Paradise publicity flyer in the boy's room yet, no would be a good time to check it out. Make your way to Wall Market and enter the Item Store. Examine the vending machine that was so hostile toward you during Disc 1 and you'll receive Tifa's best weapon, the PREMIUM HEART. Visit the Weapon Store and talk to the man who sold you the Batteries and he'll sell you the SNEAK GLOVE @ 129,000 Gil. If you're undertaking this quest at your earliest opportunity, it's likely you'll find this sum pretty steep. However, you'll really appreciate this accessory when it comes time to steal those REALLY important items later in the game.

While you're in the spirit of revisiting the early days, hop in the Highwind and return to Nibelheim with Tifa in your party. Go to Tifa's house and examine the piano in her bedroom. Play the tune from the story Cloud told at the Kalm Inn: [X]-[S]-[T]-[L1/R1 + T]-[L1/R1 + S]-[X]-[S]-[T]-[R1/L1 + X]-[O]-[X]-[S]-[X] and Tifa will pick up the sheet music for it. (NOTE: It's the Highwind theme!) Inside, she'll find a letter from Zangan containing FINAL HEAVEN, her Level 4 Limit Break.

Before you leave, consider visiting the library in the basement of the Shinra Mansion. You'll learn a lot more about the relationship between Cloud and Zack in a flashback that illuminates the events between the Nibel Reactor incident and Tifa's discovery of Cloud at the Midgar Sector 7 Train Station. In the far room, you'll also find a series of official Shinra reports concerning the same events.

Chocobos have been a mainstay of the FINAL FANTASY series from the very early going. In addition to featuring their traditional function as a mode of transport, "FINAL FANTASY VII" adds the elaborate element of breeding Chocobos with specialized skills and attributes.

After taking the Highwind from Junon on Disc 2, head for the Chocobo Farm to begin your career as a Chocobo breeder. You'll find the front paddock empty and a CHOCOBO LURE MATERIA on the near-right corner. Head into the house and talk to Choco Bill. He'll offer to rent out up to six Chocobo Stables @ 10,000 Gil. He'll also tell you about the Chocobo Sage, a being purported to know the secret to breeding special Chocobos. Purchase at least four stables and head out to catch some Chocobos. Chocobos can be found anywhere you see tracks on the World Map. Equip Chocobo Lure Materia (the more the better) and walk around near the tracks until you encounter a Chocobo in battle. Feed it some greens if you're worried about it running away and defeat the flanking enemies to capture the Chocobo. Dismount [X] and send the animal back to the stables. When you've sent four Chocobos to the paddock, you'll have to return to the Chocobo Farm and decide which ones you want to keep. Head for the barn, talk to Choco Billy, and select 'Moving Chocobos'. Use Billy's appraisal of the Chocobos to help you make your decision, and move the keepers into the stable [O].

If you intend to breed a special Chocobo, you'll want to train your Chocobos at the Chocobo Races. If you want to have any hope of reaching Class S, you'll have to build up the vital statistics (Speed, Intelligence and Stamina) of your Chocobos by feeding them greens. Different greens effect different attributes, and more costly greens have a greater effect. Talk to Billy and select 'Feeding Chocobos' (you should be able to decipher his apparent accent and figure out which greens are which with little difficulty). When feeding your Chocobo no longer has any effect, you've maxed out its statistics and you're ready to head for Chocobo Square at the Gold Saucer.

Your first step should be a visit to the Chocobo Sage's House, nestled in a hidden valley west of the entrance to the Corral Valley Cave in the Icicle Area. Talk to the Chocobo Sage and you'll begin the long and tedious process of drawing out the details about the special breeds of Chocobo. You'll also want to purchase from him at least one of each of the best greens (if you're unable or unwilling to use the W-Item cheat, you'll have to drop a small fortune on vegetables if you hope to get the best breeds of Chocobo). On your way out, talk to his pet Chocobo and you'll receive an ENEMY SKILL MATERIA. Talk to Chole in the stables and she'll record everything the Sage tells you. You'll learn about the Mountain Chocobo and the River Chocobo, each with the ability to cross its namesake terrain. To breed these types of Chocobos, you'll need to mate two 'great' Chocobos (or one 'great' and one 'good' Chocobo) with the Carob Nut. 'Great' Chocobos can be found near the tracks in the Rocket Launch Pad and Mideel Areas and 'good' Chocobos can be found near the tracks in the Gold Saucer Area. The only way to acquire a Carob Nut is by stealing one from the vicious Vlakorados in the Icicle Area. When you have an appropriate male and female Chocobo and you've raced them both to Class S, talk to Choco Billy and select 'Mating Chocobos'. (NOTE: You'll be happy to know sex isn't determined until you move your Chocobos into the stables. Save your game outside the farm and, if you don't get the sex of Chocobo you're after, reset and try again.) Select the prospective parents and use the correct nut and you'll have an excellent chance of breeding a special Chocobo.

The next time you visit the Chocobo Sage, you'll hear about the Mountain-River Chocobo. Race a Mountain and a River Chocobo (one male, one female) to Class S and mate them using another Carob Nut and you'll have a great chance of breeding a Black Chocobo. Eventually, you'll learn about the ultimate breed of Chocobo, the Gold Chocobo, which can take you ANYWHERE on the planet. You'll need to mate a Black Chocobo and a 'wonderful' regular Chocobo (of opposite sexes) using a Zeio Nut. 'Wonderful' Chocobos can only be found near the tracks in the Icicle Area southwest of Icicle Inn. The only way to acquire a Zeio Nut is by stealing one from a Goblin, a creature that can be found in the forest on Goblin Island, located northeast of the Chocobo Farm. You can also learn the GOBLIN PUNCH Enemy Skill from it. With a little luck, when you race the prospective parents to Class S and mate them, they'll produce a Gold Chocobo.

Supershot ST
Spring Gun Clip
Slash-All Materia
Minerva Band
Typoon Materia
Apocalypse
Elixir

The Ancient Forest is located high on a plateau southeast of Cosmo Canyon and it cannot be reached without the help of a Mountain Chocobo until after you've defeated Ultimate Weapon. Inside the forest, you'll find an elaborate puzzle filled with powerful items and Materia. Your task will be to figure out how to use the things that can be found in the forest to grab the treasure and make your way to the opposite side. The forest is inhabited by a wide variety of creatures. The tiny jumping insects can be used to draw frogs out of holes in trees or to temporarily close pitcher plants. When a pitcher plant is closed, Cloud will be able to stand on it until it digests the insect and opens again. Frogs can be used can be used to close pitcher plants as well; however, as they cannot be digested, the plants will spit them out eventually. If Cloud is standing on the pitcher plant when this happens, he will be thrown along with the frog. The giant flytraps will snap at Cloud if he gets to close, damaging your entire party. The only way to safely pass is to pick up a wasp's nest and drop it into the flytrap, permanently closing its jaws.

Pick up the insects in the first area one by one and gather them near the pitcher plants above the giant flytrap. Pick up an insect, go to the highest ledge, and release it into the nearby pitcher plant. Quickly grab another insect, return to the ledge and jump onto the first plant, and release the insect into the second plant. Go back and pick up the third insect and throw it into the last pitcher plant and you'll be able to cross to the opposite side of the gorge. Approach the flytrap from the right, gingerly inching your way toward its center, until you can pick up the SUPERSHOT ST. Head right, jump the gorge, pick up the SPRING GUN CLIP and proceed to the next area. Pick up an insect and use the springy vine to jump to the high ledge nearby. Stand as far to the right as possible and release the insect into the pitcher plant. Jump to the right and you'll land safely on the other side of the giant flytrap. Head right, pick up a frog, and go to the ledge between two pitcher plants. Release the frog into the left plant, jump on top of it, and wait to be thrown to the ledge above. Grab the wasp's nest, jump down, and throw it into the flytrap on the left. Pick up the SLASH-ALL MATERIA, pick up the frog and return to the ledge, and release it into the pitcher plant on the right. Wait to be thrown over the huge flytrap on the right and proceed to the next area.

Put insects into the two pitcher plants and use the springy vine to catapult yourself into the canopy. Head down the tree trunk to the left and pick up the MINERVA BAND you may have spotted earlier. Return to the canopy and make your way to the tree to the right. Stand at the end of the broken branch in the foreground and use the vines to jump to the right. Pick up the bag containing the TYPOON MATERIA and return to the broken branch. Head down the tree trunk and make your way to the right along the vine to return to the forest floor. Pick up an insect and release it into the right-most pitcher plant. Jump to the ledge above and grab the wasp's nest, jump down, and throw the nest into the giant flytrap. Pick up the other insect, release it into the pitcher plant left of the flytrap, and jump to opposite side of the gorge. Head to the left and grab an insect, release it in front of the hole in the nearby tree, and grab the frog when it jumps out. Head right and throw the frog into the pitcher plant and wait for it and you to be spit to the right. Pick up the frog again and put it in the right-most pitcher plant. Wait to be thrown over the gorge to the right and proceed to the next area.

Open the two chests to find the APOCALYPSE and an ELIXIR and exit the cave at the far end to leave the Ancient Forest.

As you explore the world, you're likely to spot four mysterious caves in remote locations impossible to reach by ordinary means. You won't be able to reach the Materia Caves without the help of the special breeds of Chocobo.

North Corel Area Materia Cave This cave is directly north of North Corel and it can only be reached on the back of a River Chocobo. Ride the Chocobo into the Highwind, fly to grassy field near the Corel Area entrance to Mt. Corel, and ride the Chocobo across the shallow river. Enter the cave and touch the glowing crystal to receive the HP<->MP MATERIA.

Wutai Area Materia Cave
This cave is located at the end of a narrow peninsula in the middle of the Wutai Area's east coast and can only be reached on the back of a Mountain Chocobo. Set down in the Wutai Area and ride the Chocobo over the mountains to reach the cave. Examine the crystal to find the MIME MATERIA.

Mideel Area Materia Cave
This cave is located at the northern tip of the smallest of the Mideel Area's three talons and can only be reach on the back of a River Chocobo. Land the Highwind in the Mideel Area and use the shallows to reach the cave. Examine the glowing crystal inside and you'll receive the QUADRA MAGIC MATERIA.

Round Island Materia Cave
This is the most remote of the Materia Caves and it's located on a tiny island that doesn't appear on any map and can only be reached on the back of a Gold Chocobo. Ride the Chocobo toward the northeast corner of the map and dismount outside the cave. Enter the cave and touch the throbbing crystal to receive the KNIGHTS OF ROUND MATERIA.

Heaven's Cloud
Megalixir
Escort Guard
Conformer
Double Cut Materia
Touph Ring
Ziedrich
Megalixir
Spirit Lance
Hades Materia
Outsider
Highwind

The Gelnika, a plane that crashed while transporting Shinra's best and most highly-classified weapons, lies entombed at the bottom of the inland sea. Once you've acquired a Shinra Sub, you'll be able to dock with the wreckage and plunder its secret cache. Take the Sub west from the submarine dock at Junon to the southern tip of the natural bay between the Gold Saucer and Costa del Sol, dive to the ocean floor, and examine the plane to go aboard. Open the chest at the left end of the first hallway to find the HEAVEN'S CLOUD. Take the far door to enter the Research Room, head for the far-right end of the catwalk, and open the chest to find a MEGALIXIR. Open the chest at the top of the stairs to find and ESCORT GUARD and head for the lower level. Open the chest obscured by the pipes in the far-left corner to find the CONFORMER, Yuffie's best weapon, and pick up the DOUBLE CUT MATERIA in the far-right corner. Return to the hallway and head left. If you undertake this quest before parachuting into Midgar to stop Hojo from firing the Sister Ray, you'll encounter the Turks.

RENO & RUDE:
Equip yourself to absorb Fire, Ice and Lightning attacks (Tetra Elemental, Minerva Band with [Lightning]-[Elemental], etc.) and to protect against Confusion (Ribbon or [Mystify]-[Added Effect], especially on someone equipped with Slash-All or Double Cut) and you should be well protected against the Turks. Equip Steal Materia and consider equipping the Sneak Glove (if you have it) to help you snare the TOUPH RING from Reno and the ZIEDRICH from Rude. Begin with Big Guard and Regen on your party, then mug your opponents. When you have everything you need, unload on the Turks to boot them off the plane. Take the far door to reach the Cargo Room and open the chest to find a MEGALIXIR. Open the chest in the far right corner of the upper walkway to find the SPIRIT LANCE and head for the lower level. Grab the HADES MATERIA near the helicopter and open the two chests on the near side of the hold to find the OUTSIDER and the HIGHWIND, Cid's Level 4 Limit Break.

In the very center of the western continent, a waterfall pours itself into a circular lake completely surrounded by mountains. Unless you have a Mountain Chocobo, the only way to reach this sanctuary is by submarine. Once you've acquired the Shinra Sub, take it northwest from the dock at Junon to where the river between the Corel and North Corel Areas empties into the inland sea. Dive and head south to the end of the long tunnel. Surface and dock at the rocky ledge on the western shore of the lake.

Visit the Waterfall Cave with Vincent in your party during Disc 2 and you'll meet Lucrecia; formerly a Shinra scientist, Vincent's beloved and the natural mother of Sephiroth. You'll learn about the love triangle between Vincent, Lucrecia and Hojo; and the circumstances which led to the experimentation on and genetic alteration of Vincent. Return to this location with Vincent in your party during Disc 3 and you find the DEATH PENALTY, Vincent's best weapon, and CHAOS, Vincent's Level 4 Limit Break.

After you face Diamond Weapon on the coast north of Midgar, you'll find Ultimate Weapon in a sulking hover over the lake in the Junon Area. Even though it seems to have no interest in attacking you (or anyone for that matter), go ahead and ram it with the Highwind to initiate combat. In addition to its previous repertoire of attacks, it can also use an unnamed Lightning-based attack. For near-complete protection, equip the Tetra Elemental to absorb Lightning and Earth and the [non-elemental Materia]-[Elemental] defensive combination to absorb the effects of the Ultima Beam. As it did during your previous encounter, Ultimate Weapon will fly off after only a few rounds. When this happens, you'll have to chase it across the World Map and ram it repeatedly until it settles on a new destination (you'll know you've sufficiently bashed it when it stops trying to evade you and makes a bee-line for its next target). If you're lucky, you'll catch a glimpse of its course as it flees. If not, know that it could be cruising around almost ANYWHERE in the world (and at times it may seem as though it's deliberately hiding from you). When Ultimate Weapon comes to rest at last, ram it one more time to re-initiate combat. You'll have to act quickly if you want to steal from it (either a CIRCLET or a REFLECT RING, depending on your location). Consider equipping [Steal]-[Sneak Attack] and the Sneak Glove on your designated pickpocket to take care of business before the fight gets underway. Begin each battle with Big Guard, then turn to your best attacks to whittle away at its HP. When you've caused a critical amount of damage and Ultimate Weapon wearies of the pressures of conflict, it will head for its place of final repose, the plateaus east of Cosmo Canyon. When you deliver the fatal blow, Ultimate Weapon will use the SHADOW FLARE Enemy Skill against its slayer, you'll receive Cloud's best weapon, the ULTIMA WEAPON, and the beast will come crashing down to the earth below, altering the landscape to allow you on-foot access to the Ancient Forest nearby.

After you lay Ultimate Weapon to rest, Ruby Weapon can be found with its head poking out of the sand somewhere in the desert surrounding the Gold Saucer. You'll have to ram it in the melon with the Highwind to make it jump out of the sand and engage you in combat. But before you do, make sure you've made the necessary preparations. Ruby Weapon seems extremely resistant to physical attacks, so you'll need to plan a primarily magical assault. Ruby Weapon's Achilles' heel is its weakness against Paralysis. You'll want to gather a healthy supply of at least 30 Dazers (if you don't have one or you're unwilling to use the W-Item cheat, the best way to get them is by mugging, morphing or defeating Boundfats in the Corral Valley) and put them at the top of your inventory. If you have Knights of Round or Master Summon, you'll be able to use an attack pattern similar to the one described for Emerald Weapon. If you haven't the patience or the passion for breeding a Gold Chocobo, you'll have to find another way. A powerful option (and thankfully one that takes a very short time to execute) is the highly-underrated ???? Enemy Skill. It always delivers damage equal to the difference between the users MaxHP and current HP. If you don't have it on at least two Enemy Skill Materia, head for the Shinra Mansion and stand motionless in front of some Jerseys on the second floor until you learn it.

The first thing you should know about the actual battle is that Ruby Weapon will be completely invulnerable until it sinks its claws into the sand and its Tentacles appear behind your party. Before it does so, it's extremely like to use its Whirlsand attack to eliminate one, probably two of your allies from the fight. To avoid this unsavory situation, nominate a point man and start the battle with the other two party members knocked out. This will prompt Ruby to bury its claws immediately. Ruby Weapon has a wide variety of very strong attacks in its arsenal; one of which is Fire-based, others can cause negative status. It's a very good idea to equip yourself to absorb Fire and resist status effects (i.e. the Ribbon). Equip the Enemy Skill Materia with ???? on the unconscious individuals and boost their MaxHP to 9999 by equipping HP Plus Materia. Equip your point man with Time or a third Enemy Skill (with Big Guard) and consider equipping at least one Counter Attack Materia and [Time or Hades]-[Added Effect] in his/her weapon on the off chance of inflicting Slow. You may also wish to add [Phoenix]-[Final Attack] for the sake of safety. Fill any remaining slots with Plus Materia and you're ready to start the fight. Ruby will open by burying its claws. Hit it with Dazers, cast Haste, and play it safe by waiting with a full ATB gauge until Ruby recovers.

Hit it with another Dazers and use a Phoenix Down to revive one of your fallen allies. Wait with a third Dazers at the ready and skip to the ally who was resurrected first to use another Phoenix Down on the remaining party member. Throw the third Dazers and use Big Guard to endow the rest of the party with Haste. At last it's time to begin the attack. Use the point man to keep watch on Ruby Weapon while the others unload a relentless string of ????. They should both be in critical condition and the attack should be quite effective. In between Dazers attacks, have the point man summon Hades or use normal attacks to try to slow Ruby down (it's best to make only one attempt between shots of Dazers). There's a good chance your vigil will slip at some point and Ruby will get the chance to attack. If it knocks out one of your attackers, simply paralyze Ruby and use another Phoenix Down. On the other hand, you may wish to turn the situation to your advantage. If the Ruby Flame heals one of your attackers enough to reduce the effectiveness of ????, you may wish to deliberately elicit a counterattack against that character as it can rob that person of the majority (but only a percentage) of their HP. With persistence, your attack should previal.

Defeat Ruby Weapon and you'll receive the DESERT ROSE. Take it to the Mourner of Kalm and he'll trade a GOLD CHOCOBO for it.

You may spot Emerald Weapon swimming around the inland sea after you acquire the Shinra Sub, but you'll want to avoid it at all costs until you're properly prepared to fight it. Select three characters with strong multiple-strike Limit Breaks (i.e. Cloud = Omnislash, Cid = Highwind, Barret = Ungarmax, etc.) to be in your attack party and equip their best weapons (if you don't have them, consider getting them). It'll help you greatly if your party members are at relatively high Levels, at least 60 or so. Equip your best armor; such as the Mystile, the Aegis Armlet, or the Ziedrich; and plan your attack.

In addition to its repertoire of devastating attacks, it has four Eyes that, when open, can attack repeatedly and drain about 1/2 your HP or MP with EACH hit.

Emerald's signature skill and the attack that should have the greatest bearing on your preparation is Aire Tam Storm, which deals 1111 points of damage for every Materia orb equipped. On top of all that, you'll have to face a 20-minute time limit unless you have the Underwater Materia equipped. If you haven't done so already, your first order of business should be getting it from the Mourner of Kalm (see the Underwater Reactor episode for details). Prepare your defense by equipping HP Plus and MP Plus Materia to boost those statistics to the maximum and equip [Phoenix]-[Final Attack (mastered)] to rescue you in case your entire party gets wiped out (which is almost a given).

The cornerstone of your attack will be [Knights of Round (Level 2 or higher) or Master Summon]-[MP Turbo], W-Summon and Magic Plus Materia (mastered) equipped on the character with the highest natural Magic statistic.

Equip [Mime]-[Counter (mastered)] and another Magic Plus Materia (if you have one) on the character with the next highest natural Magic statistic. Equip an identical set-up on the remaining character if you can manage it and, if you're extremely well-outfitted, you'll want to add a third Mime (or a Master Magic) Materia to the first character's set-up. Consider giving everyone an Enemy Skill Materia with Big Guard (and Angel Whisper if possible) and fill your remaining slots with Speed Plus Materia, Mega All Materia or anything else you want to acquire the vast amount of AP you'll get from defeating Emerald Weapon. You may want to limit yourself to eight Materia orbs for each party member to keep Aire Tam Storm from becoming an automatic instant death for your entire party, especially if your Final Attack Materia isn't quite mastered yet.

Also, if you're using weapons with no Materia growth, make sure you arrange your Materia so those most in need of AP are in your armor. Last but not least, consider heading into battle with everyone's Limit Break full. When you're ready to fight, jump in the Shinra Sub and ram Emerald to initiate combat. Your very first move should be to use Big Guard to endow the party with Haste and set up both Barriers. Already, Emerald Weapon will probably have clobbered someone; use an X-Potion for your next move. If your Limit Break is available, now is the time to use it (if not, or if you want to avoid the hassle, skip directly to the Knights of Round phase of the attack). For as long as you can sustain it, skip the other characters and mimic the Limit Break. You should be able to Mime at least once (more if you successfully counter attack with it). Break off as soon as anyone else with a full Limit gauge nears death, as you'll lose it if that person gets knocked out. When you've exhausted your Limit Breaks, make sure the character with Knights of Round has at least 510 MP and use W-Summon to attack with Ultimate End twice in a row. With MP Turbo and Magic Plus, each hit should cause close to 9999 points of damage to Emerald (and the Eyes if they're open). Use Mime for your next move and you'll copy BOTH summons at no MP cost.

What's more, you'll also copy the MP Turbo boost. You should be able to Mime the double-summoned fully-boosted Knights of Round a few times without the need to recover (again, even more if you manage to counter attack with it). Your allies' ATB gauges should completely fill in the interim between the two summons.

Play it safe and keep at least one character at the ready for medic duty at all times. If your string of mimed Knights comes to an end (due to a need to administer first aid or a surprise kill resulting in the Phoenix Final Attack) and Emerald is still standing, use a Megalixir (or something less dramatic if you can get away with it) and start the whole process again. If two per battle is your limit for Knights of Round, you'll have to move onto something else (fear not, Emerald should be near the end). If you've kept everyone alive, there's a good chance someone's Limit gauge will be full. In that case, revisit the Limit Break Miming strategy outlined above. If not and the Eyes are open, skip to a character with the Mega All Materia and use Slash All in an effort to destroy them all at once. Mime the Slash All if the others don't have the innate ability. If you simply cannot defeat Emerald Weapon at this time, try again when your Knights of Round Materia is at a higher level.

Defeat Emerald Weapon and you'll receive the EARTH HARP. Take it to the Mourner of Kalm and he'll trade a MASTER MAGIC MATERIA, a MASTER COMMAND MATERIA and a MASTER SUMMON MATERIA for it.

NAME	STATUS EFFECT		LOCATION
	AP NEEDED TO GET TO EACH LEVEL	MP COST	FUNCTION
Alexander	+1 Magic, +1 MDef, -5% Max HP, +5% Max MP		Touch the hot springs then go meet with Snow east of the snowfield south of Gaea's Cliff
	0, 25000, 65000, 100000, 150000	120	Judgement: Causes holy-element damage.
Bahamut	+1 Magic, +1 MDef, -5% Max HP, +5% Max MP		Get after killing the Red Dragon at the Temple of the Ancients
	0, 20000, 50000, 80000, 120000	100	Mega Flare: Causes non-element damage.
Bahamut ZERO	+4 Magic, +4 MDef, -10% Max HP, +15% Max MP		Take Bahamut and Neo Bahamut to the Huge Blue Materia at Cosmo Canyon (if you got it).
	0, 35000, 120000, 150000, 250000	180	Tera Flare: Causes non-element damage (3 times the strength of Bahamut).
Choco/Mog	+1 Magic, -2% Max HP, +2% Max MP		Listen to the chocobo's song at the Chocobo farm
	0, 2000, 14000, 25000, 35000	14	One of two attacks: Deathbowl: DCauses wind-based damage with a 10% change of paralyzing too. Fat-Chocobo: A stronger physical attack against all enemies. Occurs 1/16th of the time.
Hades	+4 Magic, +4 MDef, -10% Max HP, +15% Max MP		Lying near the wrecked helicopter in the storage area of the sunken 'Gelnika' prototype aircraft
	0, 35000, 120000, 150000, 250000	150	Black Cauldron: Causes non-element damage and randomly inflicts Confuse, Frog, Minimum, Paralyze, Silence, Sleep, and Slow.
Ifrit	+1 Magic, -2% Max HP, +2% Max MP		Get after killing Jenova*Birth on the Cargo Ship.
	0, 5000, 20000, 35000, 60000	34	Hellfire: Causes fire-based damage.
Kjata	+1 Magic, +1 MDef, -5% Max HP, +5% Max MP		Search the second screen of the Sleeping Forest
	0, 22000, 60000, 90000, 140000	110	Tetra-Disaster: Causes fire/ice/lightning-based damage.
Knights of Round	+8 Magic, +8 MDef, -10% Max HP, +20% Max MP		Use a Gold Chocobo to get to Round Island in the northeast corner of the map (not shown on the world map)
	0, 50000, 200000, 300000, 500000	250	Ultimate End: Causes various types of damage to all enemies. There are 13 attacks in all.
Leviathan	+1 Magic, +1 MDef, -5% Max HP, +5% Max MP		Beat Godo with Yuffie atop the Pagoda at Wutai
	0, 18000, 38000, 70000, 100000	78	Tidal Wave: Causes water-based damage.
Neo Bahamut	+1 Magic, +1 MDef, -5% Max HP, +5% Max MP		Search the bottom of the screen in the area with the first Save Point in the Whirlwind Maze
	0, 30000, 80000, 140000, 200000	140	Giga Flare: Causes non-element damage (2 times the strength of Bahamut).
Odin	+1 Magic, +1 MDef, -5% Max HP, +5% Max MP		Open the iron safe in the Shinra Mansion at Nibelheim
	0, 16000, 32000, 65000, 80000	80	One of two attacks: Steel-Bladed Sword: An instant-kill attack. Gunge Lance: A non-element attack against one enemy used against enemies that are immune to instant-kill attacks.
Phoenix	+2 Magic, +2 MDef, -10% Max HP, +10% Max MP		Get if you win the Huge Materia Quest at Fort Condor (Disc 2)
	0, 28000, 70000, 120000, 180000	180	Phoenix Flame: Causes fire-element damage (times 2 strength) and casts Life 2 on all allies.
Ramuh	+1 Magic, -2% Max HP, +2% Max MP		One of the alcoves in the Chocobo Jockey's room above Corel Prison
	0, 10000, 25000, 50000, 70000	40	Judgement Bolt: Causes lightning-based damage.
Shiva	+1 Magic, -2% Max HP, +2% Max MP		Get from Priscilla in Junon
	0, 4000, 15000, 30000, 50000	32	Diamond Dust: Causes ice-based damage.
Titan	+1 Magic, -2% Max HP, +2% Max MP		Examine the right side of the Meltdown Reactor near Gongaga Town
	0, 15000, 30000, 60000, 80000	46	Anger of the Land: Causes earth-based damage.
Typoon	+4 Magic, +4 MDef, -10% Max HP, +15% Max MP		Lying on the large tree branch in the Ancient Forest
	0, 35000, 120000, 150000, 250000	160	Disintegration: An instant-kill attack. Survivors are hit for non-element damage.

First of all this process will take about 4-5 hours and you will need a lot of money and patience to complete this but on the plus side you will get the strongest single materia(not including master materia)and the most useful command(yellow)materia and support(blue)materia as well as give you access to most of the secret areas

2.You`ll need a about 200,000 gil (60,000 of which should go to getting the stables)

3.Always boost your chocobos' class as much much as you can at the golden saucer once you have them before breeding them.

dashing chocobos- chocobo tracks on the western part of the Northern continent (ice area)

Note: You won't always get the chocobos you want in the maiting process, its possible you'll need to try a few times for each. Also , only keep the best chocobos. You'll have better kids.

To make it easier, its possible that you need a male that's not as good as the female.

To make it easier, its possible that you need a female taht's not as good as the male.

Black chocobo-can cross mountains and rivers(has the abilities of the green and blue chocobos combined)

Gold Chocobo- This is what were in it for! Can cross anything THE ultimate in transportation

gotten by: mating a S-class Black chocobo and a S-class Dashing chocobo with a Zeio nut

Chocobo Ranching- Here is where you race your chocobos to raise its class and improve its chances of getting the one you need ex. An S class chocobo always gets the one you need while a c class chocobo has like a 1:10 chance of getting the one you need, you need to win 3 races to improve your rank the classes are as follows C,B,A,S class

Nuts- These nuts are the one`s you need to feed your chocobos in order for them to breed correctly

Carob nut- used for: Green chocobo,Blue chocobo,Black chocobo. Steal the nuts from the red dragon-like monster in the Bone Village area (grass).

Zeio nut- used for :Gold chocobo. Steal the nus from the Goblins on an island in the north eastern part of the map.

Chocobo Sage- In the northern continent there`s a house and a patch of grass surrounding it .He sells the best types of food (SYLKLIS Greens) and also gives you valuable information ,talk to the green chocobo and he will drop an enemy skill materia

Greens- This is what you feed your chocobos. In order to enhance their performance in the chocobo races the best greens are Sylkis greens

To get a green or blue chocobo ,get the Carob nut from the red dragon-like monsters near Bone village.Go to Mideel Island with your chocobo lure (preferably upgraded), and walk around the tracks until you find a couple of good male and female chocobos. Upgrade the onces you want to breed at the golden saucer to A class and dump the other ones . Be careful though, if your chocobos become too close in quality its possible that you'll have problems getting the color of chocobo you want (i.e. you want a green, all you get is blue). Once you ahve a blue and a green of either sex, boost them both to A class in the golden saucer. Mate them with a carob nut for a black chocobo (its possible that you don't get the black, but don't despair, just reset and try the mating again). Now , go to the ice continent , where the chocobo tracks are and get a wonderful chocobo (dashing). It'll take a few tries to get one , so don't despair if you end up with a few crappy ones. Once you catch it , upgrade it to S class along with your black chocobo and mate them with a zeio nut. With a little luck , you'll have A GOLD CHOCOBO!! What you do with it now , is up to you , but you should ride it to the top right corner of the map and look for a crater like island then go into the cave and get the KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND materia. See the secrets section and materia sections for more things you can get with the golden chocobo.