4.1. [Final Lunatic Pandora Continued] Draw Points: Break #################################################### If you observe carefully, you'll notice a structure to the right, which leads to the upper regions of the Pandora in the next screen. Ascend the first ladder, then climb the next ladder for a 'Break' draw point. Descend, then proceed left to run up the tilting white pole. Take a right when you reach the top, then head into the opening in the next screen. There'll be an invisible save point along the way; use Siren's 'Move-Find' party ability to see it. ------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Adel HP: 50,000+ Draw List: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga, Flare ALLY: Rinoa HP: Variable Draw List: Esuna, Dispell, Regen Total AP: 0 You'll have two targets to choose from here, and you MUST NOT let Rinoa die in this battle. Adel has quite a formidable arsenal of magical attacks, and occasionally she'll drain Rinoa's HPs. Counter this by junctioning spells to Rinoa's HP parameter prior to this, and casting Regen on her at the start of the fight. You can't use spells such as Ultima, Squall's Renzokuken or any G.Fs here as they'll also damage Rinoa, so stick to physical attacks on Adel. A 'Meltdown' spell on her before that should make your task easier. Heal Rinoa when needed. Limit breaks which work here include Zell's 'Duel' and Irvine's 'Shot'. Just make sure you don't accidentally trigger any of their 'hit all targets' attacks. Side note: Actually, I had no idea about the Renzokuken damaging Rinoa, and sorta used it on Adel. Strangely enough, even though the finishing blow (Blasting Zone) did 9,999 damage to both Adel and Rinoa, I didn't get a Game Over. I took Adel down with this move though. Apparently, as long as Adel is defeated, the game doesn't bother to check if Rinoa's still alive. This method's a bit risky, though. This is where I get the majority of mails from befuddled gamers com -plaining about why Squall does only 400+ damage to Adel with a physical attack; try reading the Menu Tutorial section carefully... the Junction System is really vital to survival in FF VIII. --------------------------------------------------------- ########################################### 4.2. [Commencement Room] ########################################### Ellone will initiate time compression here... after a nice FMV you'll find yourselves in the Commencement Room. Save, then trudge your way through the numerous save points that appear. Head for the door in the background. Squall and company will have to combat the sorceress of each era, and every fight takes place on a different battlefield, cumulating in a show-down with the final Sorceress. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSSES: Sorceress A x6 HP: 3,390 Draw List: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga BOSSES: Sorceress B x5 HP: 4,496 Draw List: Haste, Double Total AP: 0 The battles are continuous here, but fortunately these sorceresses are quite easy to take down. Both physical attacks and spells which affect all targets (i.e. Ultima, Meteor) should allow you to breeze through them. BOSS: Sorceress C HP: 50,000+ Draw List: Flare, Holy AP: 55 She can hit you pretty hard in a single counter-attack, which takes away roughly 1,000 HPs from one character. Also, when she finishes her count-down, she'll unleash 'Ultima' on your party, something which you won't want. In any case, hit her with a Meltdown-Aura -Renzokuken combo, and have the remaining cast heal or summon powerful G.Fs such as Bahamut and Eden. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Edea's Orphanage] Head up, take a right, then proceed up again for a cool FMV introducing Ultimecia's Castle. Make your way north still, and along the way you should come across a thick metal chain. There should be a total of 3 doors to the left; press 'X' (U.S) or 'Circle' (Japanese) near them to leap towards them. Just head for the portal to the upper-left or the one in the middle to get out first. Here's where they lead to: Upper-left portal: Region near the Chocobo Sanctuary (Coastal area of Grandidi Forest) Middle-left portal: Region near the Centra Ruins (Serengetti Plains) Lower-left portal: Region near Deling City (Wilburn Hill) ################################################ 4.3. [Time-Compressed Overworld] (note: Although optional, I highly recommend you at least recover the Ragnarok) ################################################ Depending on which portal you chose in the previous section, you'll be able to access the Ragnarok in 2 different ways. I'll detail the portal which leads to the region near the Chocobo Sanctuary first: You'll emerge at the shoreline near the Chocobo Sanctuary (the forested cliffs north-east of Esthar). Head inland and locate the camouflaged dome-like Sanctuary, which should be in the north of Grandidi Forest. Make sure you equip Diablos' 'Encounter None' party ability while searching for the Chocobo Sanctuary; the enemies here can get annoying. Once you've got that free chocobo, ride it south along the eastern coasts of the Esthar continent, then across the shallow waters at the southern tips of the continent towards Kashkabald Desert. There's a beach south-east of the desert; get your Chocobo onto the Centra continent via the shore, and head towards the center of the desert to find the Ragnarok. The air-ship appears as a red dot on your world map, btw. And here's the alternate way to get to the Ragnarok, if you chose the middle portal previously: You'll emerge on the Centra continent, somewhere near the Centra Ruins. Head north-west, and keep a lookout for a mountain wrapped around a Chocobo Forest on the north-east tip of this island. Enter the forest, get a Chocobo (or pay the Chocoboy 1,200 gil to ride one), then ride the Chocobo south. You'll eventually find a beach; cross the shallow waters to get to the opposite island (Edea's Orphanage should be nearby). Head north-east from here, through a narrow pass in a mountain range to reach Kashkabald Desert and the Ragnarok. The air-ship appears as a red dot on the world map, btw. You'll notice that with the exception of dungeons and chocobo forests, all other areas are blocked off. There's not much you can do about the strange barriers surrounding each town, so don't bother about them too much. Still, I suggest you take a trip down to the Heaven and Hell Islands to stock up on spells first. Once you've done that, try taking a look inside the Ragnarok. ############################################# 4.4. [Ragnarok Revisited] Rare Cards: All ############################################# Here's where you can complete your collection of rare cards, as well as purchase supplies. You must have defeated CC Group's King at Balamb Garden previously, either in Disc Two or Three. You should meet up with Xu at the Entrance of the ship. And as for the rest of the CC Group, they're scattered all over the Ragnarok, but shouldn't pose a problem in locating them. Note that the Joker near the elevator sells you items, in addition to providing weapon remodeling services. To play King, put 'him' in your main party, then talk to 'him' using 'Square' while in the Air Room of the Ragnarok. Each CC Group member plays accordingly to a certain region's rules. Jack: Aisle, near Entrance (Balamb's rules) Club: Aisle, near Air Room (Dollet's rules) Diamond: Hangar (Trabia's rules) Spade: Hangar, near save point (Esthar's rules) Heart: Entrance (F.H's rules) King: Air Room (Lunar Base's rules) Joker: Aisle, near Passenger Deck (Centra's rules) The CC Group holds virtually all the rare cards (except for those exclusive to the Card Queen Quest) you've yet to collect, so take time off to win them. However, they won't be your only source of rare cards in Disc Four, as the Card Queen can still be found on the Overworld itself. She's located at one of the southern tips of the Esthar continent, in the Abadan Plains. You can't see her on the Overworld directly; you'll need to actually run into the specific area to enter a field screen. Btw, this is the same field screen where you re-discovered Piet and the crashed escape pod in Disc Three. She holds the 5 cards exclusive to the Card Queen Quest. [Returning to Ultimecia's Castle] When you're ready, fly over to Kashkabald Desert and look for a portal in the north-west. This opens up yet another door to the right of the metal chain leading to Ultimecia's Castle. Run up from there to reach the final dungeon of FF VIII. Save before you enter. ############################################# 4.5. [Ultimecia's Castle] Enemies: All Draw Points: Meteor, Slow, Dispel, Ultima, Holy, Cura, Curaga, Full-life, Aura, Meltdown, Triple, Stop G.Fs: Siren (Tri-Point), Carbuncle (Krysta), Leviathan (Trauma), Pandemona (Red Giant), Cerberus (Gargantua), Alexander (Catoblepas), Eden (Tiamat) Weapons: Omega ^_^ ############################################# Upon your entrance, Squall will have 8 commands sealed off: Item, Magic, G.F, Draw, Command Abilities, Limit Breaks, Resurrection and Save. This handicap is temporary; you can either leave the castle to get back your abilities, or defeat the 8 bosses hidden within the dungeon to reclaim them. In addition, you have to work in 2 parties here. Here're my recommendations: Main Party: Squall, Rinoa, Zell Secondary Party: Quistis, Selphie, Irvine Here's where you have to divide and junction G.Fs evenly among your party members. I used Diablos' 'Encounter None' party ability most of the time here, so you may have to exchange Diablos each time you change parties, via the 'Junction Exchange' option in the menu screen, under the 'Switch' command (U.S version only). Throughout the castle you'll find spinning green Switch Spots. Stepping onto them produces 3 options: - Switch to the other party. - Change party members (both parties must be standing at the same Switch Spot). - Cancel. Now that you have a rough idea of what's going on, it's time to start: (walkthrough of Ultimecia's Castle and all bosses stats - with the exception of Ultimecia's - courtesy of Scott Ong's Final Fantasy VIII FAQ Part I) Main Party: You should start in the Hall. Head north and climb the stairs to face Sphinxaur. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Sphinxaur HP: 12,000+ Draw List: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga AP: 30 Since you'll only have the 'Attack' command available here, make sure your party is properly junctioned when it comes to their HP and Strength parameter. Just beat on Sphinxaur using physical attacks (Squall's R1 Gunblade trigger comes into play here), and ignore the monsters he summons. Junctioning 'Blizzaga' to Elemental Defense may help to absorb the damage if Sphinxaur decides to cast Ice magic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Choose to unlock 'Magic' after the fight. Remember to add this command to your command list immediately in the menu screen! Magic lets you heal your characters, plus you now have access to (hopefully) various powerful spells that you've stocked up. Tip: (U.S version only!) If you've missed out on any of the G.Fs listed in the area information section above, choose to unlock 'Draw' instead. The remaining 7 bosses carry the G.Fs in their draw list. Then, be very careful of the abilities you unlock next; I suggest Magic, Limit Breaks, G.F, Resurrection, then Command Abilities, in that order. I've left out Save and Items, seeing how you could always run out of the Castle to save after every boss fight (take note of your previous location first), and healing can be achieved via Magic. Main Party: Head up the stairs. Ignore the door in front of you and make your way right instead. Go through the door in the south-east. In the Eastern Stairway Hall of the castle, run to your right and descend the stairs. You should see a string attached to a bell at the foot of the stairs. Ringing it with the 'X' (U.S) or 'Circle' (Japanese) button produces a timer in the top-left corner of the screen, but you won't be needing that now. Just keep the location of this bell in mind. Proceed through the door in the background, past the green Switch Spot. You should be in the Art Gallery now. First, take a look at each of the 4 paintings on the 1st floor of the Gallery (ignore the largest one to the left), then climb the steps to the right. View the other 8 paintings on the 2nd Floor (there's a 'Shell' Draw Point here, btw). Btw, it's imperative you examine ALL 12 paintings. Here are their titles: Ignus (Fire) Inandantia (Flood) Iudicium (Judgement) Intervigilium (Sleep) Vigil (Watchman) Vividarium (Garden) Viator (Messenger) Venus (Love) Xiphias (Swordfish) Xerampelinae (Red Clothes) Xystus (Tree-lined Road) Inaudax (Cowardice) Now return to the large painting to the left on the 1st floor, the one which I told you to ignore previously. Examine it and enter 'Vividarium', 'Intervigilium' and 'Viator', in that order. Trauma should appear now. To solve the puzzle... try going up to the 2nd floor of the Art Gallery. You'll see a clock painted onto the floor below; take note of the numbers the hands point to: VIII, IIII, VI. The 'V' indicates you should select only titles beginning with 'V', while the following 'I's give you the exact number of 'I's in each correct title. So 'VIII' would represent 'VIvIdarIum', 'IIII' would represent 'IntervIgIlIum' and 'VI' represents 'VIator'. These are read in the order of hour, minute and second. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Trauma HP: 28,809 Weak: Wind Draw List: Flare, Leviathan SUB-BOSS: Drama HP: 2,518 Weak: Wind Draw List: Esuna, Dispell Total AP: 30 Cast 'Meltdown' on Trauma, then bash away at him using physical attacks. You can also use 'Tornado' coupled with 'Triple' to do damage, but I advise you ignore the Dramas he summons; they come in unlimited numbers. Junction 'Tornado' to Elemental Attack if you can, and be wary of Trauma's 'Mega Pulse Cannon'. It isn't pretty when it hits. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Choose to unlock 'Limit Breaks' here (that is, if you've already un-sealed 'Magic' previously). You're pretty much a powerhouse now with Squall's Renzokuken usable. Proceed into the background and step through the door. Further up ahead you'll find a Switch Spot. Now take over your secondary party. Secondary Party: Equip Diablos over to the party members here for his 'Encounter None' ability if you wish to. Head up the stairs and into the door in the north. Run onto the chandelier; it should fall, and you'll wind up in the Grand Hall. Examine the nearby hatch in the floor to descend into the Wine Cellar. Tri-Point awaits. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Tri-Point HP: 22,000 Weak: Fire OR Ice Strong vs.: Thunder Draw List: Haste, Tornado, Bio, Siren AP: 30 Tri-Point counters with a very damaging Mega Spark each time you attack it (takes off about 3,000 HP from everyone), so make sure you junction 'Thundaga' to Elemental Defense before the fight. Then just hit it with 'Firaga', 'Blizzaga' (Tri-Point changes its weakness) or physical attacks (cast 'Meltdown' and junction 'Firaga' or 'Blizzaga' to Elemental Attack) for an easy victory. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Release the seal on 'G.F' or 'Save' here. If you have yet to unseal 'Limit Breaks', choose that in favour of 'G.F' or 'Save'. Climb back up to the Grand Hall, and head through the door in the background to reach a Switch Spot in the Courtyard. Change over to your main party. Main Party: If you chose to unlock 'Save' after felling Tri-Point, you can climb the stairs to the left and head through the left opening to reach a save point at the end of the corridor. Otherwise, just go through the door in front of the Switch Spot to reach the Floodgate (remember to swap Diablos over). Go for the door to the left in the basement. It should shut behind you. Take the key from the skeleton's hand. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Red Giant HP: 30,000 Strong vs.: Physical attacks Draw List: Demi, Pandemona AP: 30 This guy has a ridiculously high defense, but that's easily countered by casting 'Meltdown' on him and whacking him with a Renzokuken. Also, summoning Diablos, Cactuar and Doomtrain work well, in addition to casting 'Demi'. Other than the above 4 methods, there's no other way you can hurt him. Try using 'Blind' on him, too. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Choose to unlock either 'G.F' or 'Save' here, depending on which you have yet to release. Return back to the Switch Spot leading to the Floodgate (you can save if you want to beforehand at the save point mentioned above). Change your party. Secondary Party: You should be at the Courtyard. Head for the door in the background (ignore the path leading to the right). The Chapel offers a playable organ in the upper-left corner. You can bang on it all you want first, but remember its position. Climb the staircase to the right of the screen. Eventually you'll reach a wooden bridge. Notice a sparkling object on it? WALK towards it to pick it up. Now return to the Switch Spot in the Courtyard. If the key appears to fall off, don't fret; you haven't lost it. Main Party: Go back into the Floodgate again. Examine the canal to the right of the screen to pick up the Armoury Key. If you managed to pick up the key without it falling off the bridge earlier, then just use it on the door to the right and enter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Gargantua (Head) HP: 10,626 Weak: Holy Draw List: Esuna, Haste, Bio BOSS: Gargantua (Left Hand) HP: 6,884 Weak: Holy Draw List: Shell, Protect BOSS: Gargantua (Right Hand) HP: 6,884 Weak: Holy Draw List: Bio, Demi, Quake, Regen Summon 'Siren' to halt their magical spells, then follow up with 'Alexander' to take them out. You can cast 'Holy' on them if you want. The full version of Gargantua will appear after you defeat the 3 parts. BOSS: Gargantua (Whole) HP: 15,000 Draw List: Bio, Quake, Reflect, Cerberus Total AP: 42 He likes to cast various status maladies, so make sure your party members are properly junctioned for Status Defense. Junction Berserk, Blind and Slow in this case for ST-Def. Take him out with a Doomtrain-Aura-Renzokuken combination, and remember to heal when needed. Hitting him with a physical attack results in a 'Counter Twist' by Gargantua (takes off 2,000+ HP), so cast spells or summon G.Fs such as Alexander, Bahamut, Cactuar or Eden. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hey, notice the green blood dripping from the sword on the wall here? It was coloured red in the Japanese version ^_^ Remove the seal on 'Items' or 'Resurrection'. Now return to the Switch Spot outside the Dungeon (save if you want to first). Tip: For the upcoming section to play out correctly, your main party has to consist of more males than females, and vice versa for your secondary party. It's okay if you followed my recommendations for both parties straight from the start. Secondary Party: From the Courtyard, head back one screen, move left towards a door, transverse the corridor and step through the door at the end of it to get back to the Hall. Climb the stairs again, but this time head left towards another door to reach the Western Stairway Hall. Descend the stairs to the left, head past the Switch Spot into the door, and keep moving into the background in the next screen. Take the left Switch Spot at the Elevator Hall. Main Party: Starting from outside the Floodgate, climb the stairs to the left, into the left opening and past the save point. Step onto the elevator and switch over to the other party. Secondary Party: You'll be elevated to the 2nd floor. Proceed left into a Storage Room. Check around to find a 'Floodgate Key'. Return back to the elevator and switch. Main Party: Head all the way back to the Floodgate. There should be a switch next to the door on the left. Have Squall examine it twice to drain the water. Now head for the Courtyard and look for a sparkling object in the fountain. Pick up the 'Treasure Vault Key'. Go back into the Grand Hall and step onto the Switch Spot to the right. This prevents the chandelier above from falling temporarily. Switch. Side events: Before you return to the Grand Hall, try heading into (Main Party) the Chapel. At the organ, press all 8 keys simultaneously. Now back-track to the Courtyard and take the right path. A new route (previously blocked by a steel gate) should've been opened up; follow the one-way trail. At the end of the Waterway you'll find a Rosetta Stone, plus open up a shortcut to the Floodgate. If the steel gate is still there, try re-playing the organ. You must hold down all 8 buttons until the notes fade away. Secondary Party: From the Elevator Hall, head back a screen to the dark corridor. Look for a door to the left (which is partially hidden). It's somewhere down the middle stretch, behind a pillar. Inside the Treasure Vault will be 4 coffins. Just open all of them up to get Catoblepas to appear. Tip: To open all the coffins, start by closing the leftmost one, then the rightmost coffin, followed by the 2nd-to-left coffin. Finally, open the 2nd-to-right coffin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Catoblepas HP: 31,500 Weak: Earth, Water Strong vs.: Thunder Draw List: Meteor, Alexander AP: 30 Summon G.F. Brothers or Leviathan to do damage (or junction either 'Quake' or 'Water' to Elemental Attack). The Doomtrain-Aura-Shot (Irvine's limit break) combination works nicely too. His attacks consist of mainly single-target spells like Thundaga, so don't worry too much. Draw a few 'Meteor' spells if you can, but beware Catoblepas' final attack: a Meteor spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unlock either 'Item' or 'Resurrection' (depends on your previous selection after downing the Gargantua). Now head back to the Hall, through the door to the north, over the now stable chandelier and into the door over at the other end. Krysta awaits at the Terrace. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Krysta HP: 12,000 Strong vs.: Ice Draw List: Holy, Carbuncle AP: 30 Krysta has a few pretty nasty moves, and has the ability to counter every attack you throw at it, with the exception of summoned G.Fs. Just use a (you guessed it) Doomtrain-Aura-Shot combo to take care of it. Krysta will cast 'Ultima' as a last resort after you finish it off, so keep your HPs high towards the end of the fight. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You'll have only 'Draw' and 'Command Abilities' left unlocked. I suggest taking the latter. You won't be needing the 'Draw' command much here anyway (assuming you didn't miss any G.Fs in your quest). Besides, commands such as 'Level Down', 'Recover' and 'Revive' will come in useful. Return to the Switch Spot in the Hall. Main Party: Proceed into the Chapel, and head up the right staircase. Cross the wooden bridge and enter the door to the left. The ladder to the right leads to a dead-end, btw. On the very 1st floor of the Clock Tower should be an invisible save point (use Siren's 'Move-Find' party ability to see it). Climb up the extensive winding path until you reach a swinging bell. Position yourselves at the edge opposite to the lone ledge the bell swings to, and press the 'X' (U.S) or 'Circle' (Japanese) button to jump onto the bell. Enter the opening on the ledge to reach the exterior balcony of the Clock Tower... and your most powerful adversary thus far in Ultimecia's Castle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Tiamat HP: 89,800 Strong vs.: Fire, Thunder, Wind Draw List: Flare, Eden AP: 30 Tiamat has an above average magic defense parameter, and his 'Dark Flare' does a pretty hefty amount of damage (about 4,000+ if you're properly junctioned) to everyone. Try to minimise this by casting 'Shell' at the start of the fight, then quickly attack him using a Doomtrain-Aura-Renzokuken combination. You probably need to have Squall unleash his limit break twice to actually take Tiamat down. Likewise, if you do it fast enough, Tiamat won't get a chance to pull his 'Dark Flare' off, so you might want to have Squall equipped with a high offensive and speed rating. Cerberus' 'Auto Haste' character ability works well here. You can also slow down Tiamat by summoning G.F Doomtrain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unseal your final command here, and you're left with only the last boss to face. Head back into the Clock Tower, leap onto the bell, then travel up the remaining winding path to the top. When the path splits, go up for a 'Stop' Draw Point, then head south. Main Party (still): Run across the hands of the clock face, climb down the ladder and move right to reach another ladder, which you'll have to descend using. The bridge thereafter leads to Ultimecia's Room. Save at the save point outside, recover all 6 of your characters, stock up on supplies (Tonberry's 'Call Shop' ability comes into play here) and do a final check on your junctioning and spells. Enter Ultimecia's Room when you're ready. Side events: Ultimecia's Castle holds virtually all the enemies (even some old bosses!) you've ever encountered. Try fighting in different regions of the castle to face all of them, and pick up any rare items you may have missed. Another special side event I'll like to highlight here is finding and taking down the Omega Weapon. Unlike its cousin, the Ultima Weapon, this guy has the ability to kick your butt so hard, it'll be sore for months to come. So unless you really want to test your skills, I suggest you leave him for now, and come back later when you're properly prepared. For those who feel confident enough, here's what you'll need: 20 Hero's Medicine (modify Laguna's card) or a few Holy War Medicine (modify Gilgamesh's card), 'Death' junctioned to Status Defense if anyone in your main party has a level which is a multiple of 5 (i.e. lv. 65, 70 or 100), a 'Meltdown' spell, 10 Aura Stones (or 'Aura' spells), and a high offensive-cum-HP rating (255 and 9,999 respectively) for Squall. That's for the cheap way to defeat him though ^_^ I'll detail the other traditional method below. Saving before the fight helps too! First off, take your main party and position them at the Switch Spot in the Courtyard, outside the Chapel. Have the secondary party make their way to the Eastern Stairway Hall of the castle, outside the Art Gallery where the bell is. Ring it once, then quickly step into the nearby Switch Spot. Proceed into the Chapel as your main party, where you'll find Omega Weapon waiting for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SPECIAL BOSS: Omega Weapon HP: 1,000,000+ Strong vs.: All Elements Draw List: Flare, Holy, Meteor, Ultima AP: 250 The Omega Weapon has several kick-ass attacks at its disposal, some of which include the Megido Flame (9,998 damage to everyone), the Light Pillar (9,999 damage to a single character) and the all-powerful Terra Break, which hits everyone for approximately 12,000 HP worth of damage. Fortunately, the Hero's Medicine should render all these attacks useless, as it puts a single party member into 'Invincible' status. You'll get a 'Proof of Omega' in your Tutorial screen after defeating it. Cheap method: Omega will use 'Level 5 Death' at the start, so make sure everyone is protected from that. Have the party use Hero's Medicine on Rinoa and Zell, with Squall casting a 'Meltdown' spell on Omega. Your opponent will hit you with the 'Meteor' spell now, so recover Squall's HPs back to 9,999 (Leviathan's 'Recover' command works fine here) using a character. You can let the other cast 'Haste' on Squall if you want, but leave Squall with a full time bar. Omega Weapon should launch its Megido Flame now, reducing Squall's HP to only 1. Have him unleash his Renzokuken, while another party member uses a Hero's Medicine on him. Now your main task will be to keep everyone in 'Invincible' status, as Squall repeatedly launches a flurry of limit break attacks to take Omega Weapon down. You don't have to bother with the rest of Omega's moves. Should Squall fall in this battle later on, I suggest using Aura (Stones) on him instead of waiting for his HP to be reduced back to critical status (after reviving him 1st with Full-life or Revive, that is). The 'Other' method: This is for those who find themselves missing the Hero's Medicine. You'll need (as many as you can get) G.Fs with a high HP rating (i.e. Eden), everyone in your main party with maximum HPs (9,999), good parameter ratings plus a ton of recovery spells and items. I suggest modifying Bahamut's card to obtain 100 Megalixirs. Omega always begins a fight with 'Level 5 Death', so ensure full protection against that in your party. Summon Cerberus now to put everyone in 'Triple' status, then follow this up with a Meltdown-Aura -Renzokuken combo. Recover everyone's HPs back to 9,999 after Omega's 'Meteor' spell. The Megido Flame should reduce that back to only 1; heal quickly after unleashing your limit breaks, but watch out for Omega Weapon's 'Gravija'. Recover your members after that spell hits. Next, summon G.Fs with high HPs, and let them absorb some of the damage when Omega uses his Terra Break (12,000+ damage to everyone). Unleash your limit breaks if possible; Omega will cast 'Gravija' or 'Ultima', followed by his Light Pillar which WILL take a member now. Use a 'Full-life' spell to get him or her back, followed by a flurry of recovery items (a single Megalixir works nicely here) to restore everyone's HP back to maximum. Omega will settle into a random pattern of attacks from here on; your tasks will be to hit him hard with limit breaks while predicting what he'll try to do next, and curing with a Megalixir when needed. And if you're lucky, Rinoa's 'Combine' limit break might see Angelo using 'Invincible Moon', which would double as a 'Holy War'. Good luck! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ############################################## 4.6. [Ultimecia's Castle -- Master Room] ############################################## Ultimecia will express her fury at SeeD for interfering with her plans of time compression, before she engages you in combat. The participants are picked randomly here (and that includes Squall as well), so make sure your G.Fs are evenly spread out. Ultimecia will remove fallen companions in battle with her 'Angel' move, but if you're quick enough you can beat her to it with a well-timed 'Full-life' spell. Of course, if that fallen member has no G.Fs junctioned, then allow Ultimecia to remove him or her. She comes in 5 (well, 4 and a half to be more accurate) forms, which you'll need to fight consecutively. You can use Hero's Medicine for a way too easy victory if you want to (it's the final battle, anyway). And if you're wanting more Heroes, but lack either Laguna's or Gilgamesh's card, here's a tedious method of obtaining Heroes: 1. Defeat and collect 10,000 Curse Spikes from Forbiddens at levels 30 and above (skeletons armed with 2 swords). Seriously. 2. With G.F Siren at level 100, use her 'Tools-RF' to refine 10,000 Curse Spikes to 100 Shaman Stones. 3. With G.F Doomtrain at level 100, use its 'Forbidden Med-RF' to refine 100 Shaman Stones to 10 Hero Trials. 4. Use G.F Alexander's 'Med LV Up' to refine 10 Hero Trials to a single Hero. The profits aren't all that great, so I don't really recommend this procedure. If you have everyone properly junctioned, then Heroes are basically optional in the final battle. Here's a list detailing the specific attack method for each character: Squall: Have him unleash his Renzokuken (duh). Rinoa: Her 'Combine' limit break works okay, but keep her primarily as a healer of sorts. You can try using 'Angel Wing', but seeing how you'll lose control of Rinoa, I advise against it. Zell: His 'Duel' should be his main offense. Quistis: Support the party with her 'Mighty Guard' and 'White Wind' blue magic. For offense, use 'Shockwave Pulsar' if you have it. Otherwise, stick to 'Ray-Bomb' or 'Gatling Gun'. Irvine: Go trigger-happy with his 'Shot' limit break. His 'Armour Piercing Ammo', 'Demolition Ammo' and 'Pulse Ammo' work fine. If you're a quick tapper, and have a full stock of 'Fast Ammo', try using them against Ultimecia's final form. Selphie: Her 'Slot' limit break won't help much here, and it isn't worth it cycling through the list to try to get the rarer spells... make Selphie a healer instead. It's pretty obvious you need a chunk of Aura (Stones) for this last battle. However, should Squall be chosen as one of the participants (this occurs quite frequently, actually), I suggest letting him do all the attacking instead. The rest should simply support him by casting 'Meltdown' to destroy the enemy's defense, and healing Squall when needed. Make sure Squall has a Strength rating of 255 and his final weapon, the Lion Heart. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Ultimecia HP: 43,000 Weak: Poison Strong vs.: Holy Draw List: Haste, Slow, Reflect, Demi The 1st form of Ultimecia can be taken down effortlessly with a single Meltdown-Aura-Renzokuken combination. However, I suggest you make use of this one to prepare for the upcoming battles; put everyone in 'Triple', 'Protect', 'Shell', 'Haste' and 'Regen' (Quistis' 'Mighty Guard' Blue Magic comes in handy here), followed by 'Aura' status if possible. Ultimecia will attempt to spoil the party with 'Quake' and her 'Mael -strom' (causes status maladies and heavy HP damage to all), but counter that with a Megalixir (modify Bahamut's card). BOSS G.F: Griever HP: 120,000+ Strong vs.: Earth, Poison Draw List: Bio, Quake, Tornado Griever has a status ailment attack, tends to cast 'Gravija' and 'Doom', and has an annoying habit of drawing spells from your party. Counter 'Doom' with either a Remedy Plus or a Megalixir, and hit him repeatedly with Renzokukens (remember to reduce his defense to zero with 'Meltdown' 1st). Casting 'Ultima' coupled with 'Triple' works well too, but I suggest you learn Eden's 'Expendx3-1' character ability first. Griever'll occasionally remove an entire set of spells (i.e. a 100 Full-life spells) from your magic list, thus forcing you to lose that junction (i.e. if you've junctioned Full-life to HP, it'll fall back to its original value). Also note that from Griever onwards, the bosses have the ability to kill off any of your G.Fs in a single blow, so don't bother with summoning them. Griever will use his Shockwave Pulsar at the end (or earlier if you aren't quick enough in taking him out), which takes off about 3,000 HP from everyone (that's if you have a decent Spirit rating -- try junctioning 'Reflect' to it and having 'Spirit +60%' equipped), or 1,500 if you're under a 'Shell' condition. BOSS: Ultimecia-Griever HP: 180,000+ Draw List: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga SUB-BOSS: Helix HP: 25,000+ Draw List: Esuna, Dispell Ultimecia will junction with Griever for a truly nasty package. This 3rd form likes to cast 'Tornado', 'Meteor' and 'Holy', plus she'll occasionally remove an entire set of spells from your magic list too. She's also capable of casting the Shockwave Pulsar at anytime now. Other than that, tiny cronies will appear to help in the duration of the fight. If you stall for too long until 2 Helixes appear, watch out for Ultimecia's 'Great Attractor', a (visually stunning) physical attack which does 4,000+ damage to the entire party. Stick to your tried-and-proven Meltdown-Aura-Renzokuken combination to take her down. If she de-attaches a part of herself, it means she's close to defeat -- keep it going! FINAL BOSS: True Ultimecia HP: 250,000+ Draw List: Holy, Flare BOSS: Ultimecia (Lower half) HP: 16,000+ Draw List: Apocalypse Total AP: 0 Ultimecia, in all her final form glory, now has more offensive moves at her disposal; her Hell's Judgement can bring everyone down to 1 HP (easier time getting limit breaks though; in fact, you can just use a Hero's Medicine on Squall, and have him launch his Renzokuken repeatedly). She'll also cast 'Ultima', 'Flare' and 'Holy' on you, and when her lower body appears in the course of the fight, she'll draw 'Apocalypse' from it, which hits the entire party for roughly 3,500+ worth of damage. Take note that you can do the same to her, by beating her to drawing 'Apocalypse'. Ultimecia will retain the annoying ability to remove an entire set of spells from you, too. Simply keep the Meltdown-Aura-Renzokuken combinations (I think you've gotten tired of that already ^_^) coming, and heal immediately when she hits you with a Hell's Judgement -- she might cast 'Ultima' as her next move. Try to dispose of her lower body first when it does appear. When Ultimecia is near defeat, she'll start uttering lines in battle. During this period, you have to pound on her about 4 to 5 times until she finishes what she has to say; each attack usually results in her speaking another line. Only when you've seen all she has to say then can you strike the finishing blow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Enjoy the ending! *major spoiler here... skip this section if you want to see the ending for yourself* As an added bonus for those playing the Japanese version, I'll give you the following dialogue in the ending sequence as it appears in the U.S version. It isn't really accurate, so I hope you'll bear with it: Irvine: Is it over? Let's go! Let's go back to our time! Zell: Shut up! Just calm down now and think where we have to go. Selphie: Careful guys, don't pick the wrong time! Quistis: Whatever you do, don't fall into a time warp! Rinoa: (Time... Places... Who I wanna be with...) (I wanna go there! Where Squall and I promised.) Rinoa: Squall! Let's go home! Where are you!? Squall: (... Where am I?) (turns to see young Squall, and Edea) Edea: Squall! Where are you going!? Young Squall: I'm gonna find Sis! (runs off) Edea: Squall! Squall: (... Matron) Edea: Excuse me. Have you seen a little boy? Squall: You don't have to worry. The boy won't go anywhere. Edea: I think so, too. Poor thing... (Ultimecia appears) Squall: .... You're alive!? (draws his Gunblade) Edea: ... The sorceress? Squall: Yes, Matron. We had defeated her... Matron, stand back. Edea: It's ok. There's no more need to fight. The sorceress is just looking for someone to pass her powers on to. In order to die in peace, a sorceress must be free of all her powers. I know... for I am one, too. I shall take over that sorceress' powers. I do not want one of the children to become one. Ultimecia: I.... can't... disappear yet. (Edea goes over to her) Squall: Matron! Edea: Is this... the end? Squall: ... Most likely. Edea: You called me Matron. Just who... are you? Squall: A SeeD. A SeeD from Balamb Garden. Edea: SeeD? Garden? Squall: Both Garden and SeeD were your ideas. Garden trains SeeD. SeeDs are trained to defeat the sorceress. Edea: What are you saying? You're... that boy from the future? Squall: ... Matron. Edea: Please return. You do not belong here. Young Squall: I can't find Sis. ...Am I... all alone? (notices the older Squall) Who's he? Edea: Nobody. You don't need to know. The only Squall permitted here is you. (turns to the older Squall) Do you know where to go back to? Do you know how? Will you be all right by yourself? Squall: (... I'll be all right, Matron.) (Because I'm not alone.) (the screen fades) (... I'm not alone.) (... If I call out, they will answer.) Squall: Where is everyone!? Rinoa! Where are you? Zell! Selphie! Quistis! Irvine! Rinoa! (Am I... alone?) (Rinoa? I want to hear your voice.) (Which way... do I go?) (I can't make it back... alone.) Squall: Rinoa? (Am I... all alone again?) (Where... am I?) *end spoiler* You should see the ending FMV now... and don't turn the power off until the words 'The End' appear on your screen, or you'll miss a short movie after the credits. Thanks for reading our walkthrough.

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