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Laguna Dream Sequence

Ellone comes to inform Laguna that a visitor is waiting for him at Raine's pub. Head on over there, where Kiros will make an appearance: - (What's Ward up to?) - (Tell me about Julia.) - (...Where am I?) - (Let's talk later...) *spoiler here... skip this paragraph if you wish* Laguna learns that Ward has quit the army and found a new cleaning job at D-District Prison, and of Julia marrying a certain Caraway after Laguna failed to return. Soon, Laguna has to leave for his daily patrols -- Kiros decides to join him. Junction your party before setting off. Make your way to the southern-most edge of the village, and along the way Kiros finds out Laguna's doing this to repay the residents who helped him when he was brought in seriously injured. Kiros suggests an alternate job at Timber Maniacs, which Laguna shows some interest in. Retrace your steps back to the pub when you're done, where you'll hear a bit about Raine's feelings towards Laguna. Return to Laguna's residence thereafter.

Side events: The Caterchipillars here should net you Spider Webs if you missed them the first time around. Same thing with the Bite Bugs and their Magic Stones.

D-District Prison

Zell awakens in the same cell as Quistis, Selphie and Rinoa. Talk to everyone. And as for Squall, the wound has strangely disappeared, but in comes Seifer to mess things up. The scene will then alternate between Zell's party and Squall.

D-District Prison: Cell

The scene shifts to Zell and company again - should they help the Moomba? - I'll stop him! * - There's no use...

D-District Prison: Torture Chamber

Seifer questions Squall as to the real intention behind SeeD. Befuddled, Squall can only repeat in his mind what he knows: SeeD is a military group comprising of elite Garden graduates. Squall'll have to make a decision: - ... Just let me die. * - ... I'll lie... I must... live...

D-District Prison (continued)

Zell decides to try his luck at breaking out. Starting from the 7th floor (remember to junction your G.Fs!), head up one level to encounter 2 guards. You know what to do with them, don't you? Another battle awaits with 2 old friends as well after you recover your weapons, and head back to the prison cell.

SUB-BOSSES: Biggs HP: 2,130
Wedge HP: 2,040 Weak: Poison
Spend some time drawing Regen and Reflect from them (the former works well junctioned with HP; the latter junctioned to Spirit), and mug them for a few decent items, too. Try casting 'Confuse' on them if you have it, and watch their reactions should one of them attack the other. Send them to their doom with your G.Fs.

Post Battle:

Well, you're left with 2 options after the fight: to go up or down. Going down results in a dead-end, but you'll find 'Combat King 001' way down at level one, plus a few other goodies on the way in the various prison cells. It's impossible to return here later, so you'll have to make the trip now.

Floor 7: Here's where you start. Floor 6: Just a save point here. Floor 5: A man will play cards with you here. Floor 4: Check the cells for a Tent. Floor 3: There's also treasure here (a Pet House). Floor 2: And here as well (a Pet Name Tag and a Str Up). Floor 1: Save point, plus Combat King 001 in 2 separate cells.

Now make your way up again.

Floor 8: A man will sell you items here. Floor 9: A Berserk draw point can be found here. Floor 10: You can save or do Card Battle with a man here. (refer to Side events section) Floor 11: A Thundaga D.P plus a chance to play cards. Floor 12: Nothing here. Floor 13: Head on over to the Torture Room to meet up with Squall.

If you refused to surrender as Squall, one of the Moombas in the Torture Room will offer to remove one of the barriers on a certain floor of the prison; choose the option for the 4th floor.

Side events: Mug the yellow GIM47N for Steel Orbs, whereas the (rare) blue GIM52A nets you Missiles. These can be used to grant Quistis her 'Micro Missile' Blue Magic, which is deadly when used against enemies with high HPs. Both robots are weak against Thunder, by the way. Winning at Card Battle against the player on the 10th floor lets you upgrade your 'Battle Report' system in the Tutorial screen. Basically, this opens up a 'Character Report' section. You can only get it upgraded here, but it really isn't vital to do so.

D-District Prison: 13th Floor

Zell will assist in controlling the movement of the Arm; ride it to the bottom (hit the red switch when Zell tells you to). Examine the door at the end of the passageway on the bottom level; well, it appears to be a dead-end, so return to the Arm. The scene will shift over to Zell. You'll have to escape from the guards using Zell alone. Keep him well -junctioned with G.Fs prior to this, and run in a clockwise direction. The 6 are reunited; Rinoa however, is annoyed Irvine took his time deciding to come. Either way, you'll have to divide yourselves into 2 groups. Squall's party will simply have to keep heading upwards; do the opposite for Irvine's. When you finally reach the 14th floor as Squall, use Siren's 'Move-Find' party ability to find a secret save point. Remember to keep everyone well-junctioned! Be sure to talk to any Moombas you find on your way up. They'll give Squall some items. Head all the way to the lower-right on the 15th floor as Squall.

BOSS: Elite Soldier HP: 415
BOSSES: GIM52A x2 HP: 2,426
You might want to junction Thundara to Elemental Attack, and off the Elite Soldier first. Use Quezacotl against the GIM52As and attack them with thunder-based damage. Watch out for their Micro Missiles, which drains half a character's current HP. You can break their 'Aura' or 'Protect' status at the start via drawing and using Dispell on them.

Post Battle:

Now return to the previous screen to examine the controls panel in the upper-right. Irvine will instruct Squall here. Go back downstairs to save, then head upstairs again to the bridge in the lower-right. Cross it, and when the bridge starts to retract, run Squall towards a safe spot. The D-District Prison begins to sink; quickly maneuver Squall by simply holding on to right on the d-pad when he gets cut off from the others. Once out of danger's harm, the party leaves via stolen buggies.

Galbadian Desert:

The first batch of missiles have been fired at Trabia Garden, with Balamb Garden being targeted next for destruction. Again, you'll have to split up: Squall heads the team to return to Balamb Garden to warn of the impending attack; Selphie's party is to infiltrate the Missile Base to try prevent the second batch of missiles from being launched. I suggest you take your weaker characters with Squall, which in my case were Rinoa and Irvine. His scenario is the harder of the 2, but provides a greater opportunity to gain some levels.

Squall's Scenario Part One: Galbadia Desert Train Station
Sneak off onto the train to your left at the station. Rinoa apologises to the Galbadian soldier as he attempts a futile chase after them.

Selphie's Scenario: Galbadia Desert
Return to Deling City first to restock your supplies and remodel your weapons.

Missile Base

Drive the car into the base, alight, then head on over to the structure to the left. Save and proceed to examine the terminal between the 2 doors... the left door should open. Enter. Selphie and company will come across a guard outside the Circuit room -- choose the 2nd option to walk. After the short scare sequence, proceed further to reach another save point. Head to the lower left (there's a passage to the left of the stairs) of the screen. Talk to the 2 soldiers you find to the right, then return to the previous save point. There'll be a door marked Launcher Lift to the right; enter it and talk to the guards within. Tell them that they have to leave for the Circuit room themselves (1st option). Btw, there's a 'Full-life' Draw Point in here. Retrace your steps back to the original 2 soldiers mentioned above, but they'll be unable to carry out the assigned task as well. Selphie will be asked to go in their place. You can now enter the Circuit room. Selphie will screw around with the controls a bit (select the 1st option, followed by the 2nd, then then bash away using 'Square'), cutting off power to the base. Leave -- you'll have to respond to the guards outside: - (What the heck! Let's FIGHT!) - (... Try to talk my way out.) * Selphie wonders what to say: - (We just got here.) - (We were just about to go call on you.) * Follow the guards into the Circuit room for a pummeling session, courtesy of Selphie and company. Head back to the Launcher Lift door, and attempt to enter it. A guard should stop you; choose the 1st option both times at the guard to gain access. Position Selphie in between the 2 soldiers pushing against the load, then mash away at the 'Square' button to move the launcher unit in place. Now you get to toy around with the control panels outside; they're located underneath the red light, to the right of the Launcher Lift door. Verify the Equipment (it should be BAG0003A cruise missiles) and Set Target. Next shift the Error Ratio to the maximum, before Uploading the Data to the main terminal. Run a Simulation test, then exit the system. There's a little gimmick here... at the Equipment screen in the system, hold down both the 'Square' and 'Triangle' buttons, then press up or down on the d-pad to get a dancing Galbadian trooper. Weird. Save before proceeding to the Controls room, south-east of the control panels. Talk to the guard there to get past him.

SUB-BOSSES: Base Soldier x2 HP: 781 Weak: Poison
SUB-BOSS: Base Leader HP: 1,005

They're capable of casting status ailment spells on your characters, but just draw Reflect to protect yourselves. Not too tough. Check the panels to the right, middle and left to stop the launch. Go through the door in the right background, then examine the terminal to the upper left. Activate the self-destruct sequence and set time to 20 minutes. The door to the lower-right of the screen should become usable, allowing for a short-cut (this only happens when you select 20 minutes or below). Leave the base.

BOSS: BGH251F2 HP: 8,200

Junction Thundara, Quake or Water to elemental attack to 2 offensive orientated characters, and have the remaining one cast Quezacotl. Once you destroy some of the pillar-like structures on it, the BGH251F2 will retaliate with Beam Cannon, so watch your HPs. Draw Protect and Shell if you so wish to cut down on damage taken. Once the BGH251F2 is effectively put out of action, you'll have to combat 2 Galbadian Soldiers and an Elite Soldier, so save some time to spare on them. The whole fight should take you no more than 10 minutes. Basically, if the G.F. summoning character has a high Magic rating and affiliation with Quezacotl, this battle shouldn't give you too much problems. The 'Boost' G.F. ability, coupled with a turbo controller works fine too.

Post Battle:

You'll get your June issue of Weapons Monthly after this fight, and if you successfully bluffed your way through in the Base, your SeeD Ranking will also be raised by 2. For those who blew their cover:
Yes, it is possible to so in the Missile Base. Mess up, that is. If you should get busted, simply head for the Controls room, activate the self-destruct sequence, then make a run for the exit. I advise you have Diablos' 'Encounter None' party ability equipped first. Upon reaching the exit, Selphie will insist on shutting down the missile launch system; head back to the Launcher Lift door to find a wounded soldier, who'll give you his ID card and password (he won't appear if you don't attempt to escape first) if you answer his question using the 1st option. Examine the controls panel nearby, then enter 'EDEA' as the password, and make the necessary adjustments. Leave the base.

Squall's Scenario Part Two: Takeover at Balamb Garden

Talk to the Garden Faculty, who'll question Squall's allegiance. Select the 2nd option, which results in a pretty easy fight. Proceeding further into Balamb Garden, the party'll chance upon Raijin and Fujin, who explain that the Master Party is attempting a takeover of Balamb Garden. Squall has to look for Cid, so start your search in a clockwise direction. Remember to rest up and save when you reach Squall's room. The enemies you encounter here can be difficult. In clockwise order: Infirmary: 1 Granaldo. Quad: 1 Glacial Eye and 1 Bomb. Cafeteria: 1 Bomb. This one holds the 'Meltdown' spell; draw a few of them before killing it. Dormitory: 1 Caterchipillar. Rest up and save here. Parking Lots: 1 Grendel. Mug it to get Dragon Fins; now you can remodel Zell's weapon (1 Dragon Fin, 1 Spider Web). Training Center: 1 T-Rexaur. Cast Blind, followed by Shiva's Doom command ability or G.F Shiva. Library: 1 Grat. Some of the students here will give away items as gratitude, so be sure to talk to them. You should reply with the 1st option prior to all the fights. Incidentally, all the battles in the 7 facilities on the 1st floor of Balamb Garden have to be triggered before the following event occurs: Returning back to the Main Lobby, Squall spots Xu entering the lift. Tail her to the 2nd floor corridor, where Squall will inform her of the ensuing missile attack. She suggests taking this matter to Cid on the 3rd floor, so off you go. Cid recalls a device in the M.D Level of Balamb Garden which might protect it from the missiles. Squall promptly takes up the idea, and Cid gives him the key to the basement. Take the elevators.

Balamb Garden M.D Level

Check out the control panels after the lift hangs, then the floor plate in the upper left to escape. The path ahead is pretty much one-way... you'll eventually enter a door to find a mounted wheel. Squall has to turn it within 10 seconds (mash away at the 'Square' button), but you'll probably need 2 persons to actually succeed. Exit back to the previous screen and climb down the newly uncovered ladder. You should come across a huge pillar structure (and an Full-life draw point). Head left, where Squall has 3 choices as to who'll scout out the place: - (We have no choice, let's go.) - (I'll go check it out.) * - (Someone else go check it out.) Ascend the ladder, then activate the green controls panel to the right when you reach the Switch room. Use the same ladder (1st option) to get out. Irvine will comment that that was a close shave: - (Yeah.) - (Kind of.) - (No.) I'll leave this up to you. Next, examine the green light near the railings to open a path downwards. Descend and save, then throw the nearby switch to open the gate in the background. Proceed.

BOSSES: Oilboyle x2 HP: 4,035

Summon Ifrit to make short work of them. If you do receive any maladies from them, draw and use Esuna to cure. They're pretty fast, so you might want to cast 'Slow' on them if your character has a poor affiliation with Ifrit. Watch your HPs.

Post Battle:

Go through the door, down the ladder, and then move left. Examine the middle panel and you're done. Side events: The rare Tri-Faces here (3-headed purple nasties) have Curse Spikes which can be obtained via mugging. These give you Quistis' 'Level ? Death'. All enemies in the M.D are weak against Fire, so you might want to set fire spells to Elemental Attack.

Mobile Balamb Garden

Make your way to the end of the corridor on the 2nd floor to reach the 2F Deck, then head to the 3F Command Bridge when Xu tells you to. If you have Rinoa in your party, you'll get an additional FMV scene earlier on, plus a small event afterwards which I'll outline below: Rinoa enters Squall's room to take a peek at the latter sleeping. When he awakens, she requests for a tour around Balamb Garden, which Squall obliges. Of course, Squall's robotic-like style of explaining the various facilities leaves Rinoa quite amused... Dr. Kadowaki at the infirmary will teasingly question Squall if he's taking a stroll with his girlfriend: - Yes. - No, just showing her around. * I think you'd better be honest here. Head to the Main Lobby when you're done. A Garden Faculty will instruct Squall to head to the Master Room for an audience with the Master (duh), so take the elevators to the basement. Tip: You'll want to have someone equipped with the 'Draw' command if you're looking to acquire another G.F soon.

Balamb Garden Basement: Master Room

(note: You can save, if you want to, before tackling this event.) *major spoiler here... skip this paragraph if you wish* The Master is furious that Squall has failed in his assassination attempt, and blames the party for the earlier missile attack, which was undoubtedly Edea's idea of taking revenge. Norg plans to appease Edea by killing off SeeD, its members, and her husband, Headmaster Cid of Balamb Garden...

BOSS: NORG Pod (Center) HP: 2,000
BOSS: Right Orb HP: 2,701
BOSS: Left Orb HP: 2,701
BOSS: NORG HP: 11,900

Initially, NORG will not be directly in the fray of the battle. Rather, have 2 members attack the 2 orbs to keep them from turning red (they're capable of some pretty nasty spells if they're that colour), leaving Squall to destroy the NORG Pod of the machine. I'll suggest you 'Mug' the 2 eyes, as they offer items which can boost your Magic and Spirit rating. Either way, once the NORG Pod is nullified, NORG will reveal himself; draw G.F. Leviathan from him first, then follow up with a multitude of wind-based spells, Demi magic or G.Fs.

Balamb Garden

Cid's not in his room; you can find him at the infirmary, where Squall can ask him more about the events which had just transpired: - (I want to make a report.) - (The real meaning of SeeD.) - (About sorceress Edea.) - (About Master Norg.) - (About what to do next.) *spoiler here... skip this paragraph if you wish* Cid reveals that both Garden and SeeD were Edea's ideas before she became a sorceress, and are sponsored by Norg, a rich Shumi. SeeD's actual purpose is to defeat the sorceress of each era, and now it has come down to this... Cid plans to restore order back to Balamb Garden before anything else. Return to the Main Lobby's Directory Board to meet up with Xu; Squall decides to check things out when a mysterious ship is sighted approaching Balamb Garden. Head to the 2nd Floor Deck. The SeeD members on board the ship asks of Squall to locate Ellone -- she can be found at the Library. When Squall asks about the dreams of Laguna, Ellone can only offer one hint: that was in the past. The next day, Rinoa arrives to offer some comfort to Squall. Take the 1st option to stroll with her. You'll have to head to the 3rd floor after the collision; Cid dispatches Squall to survey the streets of Fishermans Horizon, as well as to apologize to the Mayor. Make your way to the 2F Deck. Incidentally, Cid holds Seifer's card; be sure to win it from him (he's rather good at Card Battle though...).

Fishermans Horizon (F.H)

Along the path, you should spot a ladder (it's kinda hard to see, actually) leading downwards. Descend from there and follow the trail to an elderly gentleman, who's a bit annoyed with the crash. Choose to apologize to him (1st option) for the 3rd Volume of Occult Fans. Converse with the Master Fisherman again; he'll ask of a favour from Squall. Return to the original path and take the crane. The Mayor's house lies right in the center of the solar dish, but I suggest you take a right 1st to explore the streets. Pick up an issue of 'Timber Maniacs' at the Repair Shop, which is the shack at the side of the route leading to the fenced-off highway, and yet another issue on the 2nd floor of the F.H Hotel. And head for the Docks for an amusing scene with the Fisherkid and the owner of the Junk Store. Save before meeting up with Mayor Dobe, but he'll greet Squall with a cold reception before bundling them out of the house. Be sure to draw 'Ultima' from a hidden draw point found here. Dobe also holds G.F. Quezacotl's card. F.H will be under siege by the Galbadian army just as Squall leaves. Retrace your steps back to the Mayor's house to obtain more information. Save your game, and run around to encounter a few SAM08Gs. Mug Running Fires (Fang Machine Guns) from them. These give you Quistis' 'Gatling Gun' Blue Magic. You can also refine a single 'Running Fire' to 40 Demolition Ammo using Ifrit's 'Refine Ammo' menu ability. Head on over to the Plaza in front of the Train Station: - (Go help.) * - (Listen a little longer.) Squall will have to contend with a few Galbadian soldiers, but they offer little resistance. Their demise heralds the arrival of a very familiar boss...

BOSS: BGH251F2 HP: 6,900

Use Quezacotl, Leviathan on it and any Thunder based spells. Steal Adamantine from it as well. This should be a snap. There's a chance of halting most of its attacks if you manage to successfully cast 'Blind' on it.

Post Battle

The gang is reunited here... and Squall lets slip his relief at seeing the trio from the Missile Base safe. Rinoa comments that that was very nice of Squall (even though unusual!): - (It's because I felt responsible.) - (I was really glad to see them.) * - (It didn't mean anything.) You might want to share a few words with Mayor Dobe as well -- it's the 1st, then the 2nd choice to keep the conversation going. Talk to Grease Monkey at the Repair Shop, then head for the Docks for yet another scene with the Fisherkid. Save your game, and ride the Crane back up. You can go back to Balamb Garden if you so wish. Side events: After meeting up with Irvine, go speak with the Master Fisherman (the one who gave you Volume III of Occult Fans) who's still at his fishing; he'll ask of Squall to meet him at the Hotel. Return to F.H, but head for the Plaza in front of the Train Station. If you previously conversed with the Cafeteria Lady at Balamb Garden up to the point when she mentions her son, talk to the man in a white shirt and blue trousers here thrice: - (Isn't he Dr. Kadowaki's son?) - (Isn't he the cafeteria lady's son?) * - (Isn't he Xu's son?) Go to the Repair Shop for a scene with a Galbadian Officer. Leave the Shop and re-enter, then talk to Grease Monkey for a 'Mega Phoenix'. Make your way to the 2nd Floor of F.H. Hotel. You'll view a very interesting holographic display involving Dobe and Fishermans Horizon there. Choose to accompany the Master Fisherman a bit longer (2nd option). Head for the Docks for a small event, and agree with the Master Fisherman's opinions (1st option) during the course of the scene. Talk to him afterwards and pick the 2nd option for a Megalixir.

Balamb Garden: Garden Festival

Locate Selphie at the Quad: - (Cheer her up.) * - (Let Irvine handle it.) Meet up with Cid now, where he'll confer the status of 'Commander' to Squall, much to the latter's exasperation.

Fishermans Horizon

Squall's friends decide to hold a small concert for him, and you have 3 tunes (and 8 instruments!) to choose from: - Guitar - Saxophone - Electric Guitar - Piano - Violin - Flute - Bass Guitar - Tap Dance Tune A: Guitar, Violin, Flute, Tap Dance * Tune B: Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Saxophone, Piano Tune C: Any jumble of the 8 instruments other than the 2 above Using Irvine, pick Tune A as your performance piece. Incidentally, you can run off in the midst of this scene to visit the rest of F.H.

Balamb Garden

Rinoa invites Squall to the concert: - (... I'm not in the mood.) - (... I don't know.) * Make your way to F.H.

Fishermans Horizon

You can hit 'Square' to change the view at the stage, or simply proceed right to move the plot. Whichever tune you chose determines the outcome of the conversation between Rinoa and Squall. Tune A (folk song): A smooth ride, no misunderstandings. Tune B (ballad): A bit uneasy, but still okay. Tune C (jumble): Both Squall and Rinoa feel uncomfortable. *spoiler here... skip this paragraph if you wish* Rinoa tries to convince Squall that the people around him genuinely want to help him, but Squall still feels that he doesn't need to depend on others, fearing that the blow will be too great to take if he loses them. Rinoa tells him then to cherish every moment when his friends are around... and not too worry too much about what's to come. This seemingly softens Squall a bit; Rinoa assures him this is really how they feel about him right now.

Balamb Garden Mobile

You'll have to make another trip to the 3rd floor Bridge, upon which the next destination will be decided: Balamb City. Talk to Nida to get things moving.

I suggest you check out a few previously unreachable areas prior to Balamb City.

Piloting Balamb

While not exactly the best air-ship you've ever encountered before in the Final Fantasy series (it's way too sluggish, takes up too much space and has atrocious climbing abilities -- read: none at all), Balamb Garden will be your main mode of transport until you reach the later parts of Disc Three. The controls are: For the U.S version: D-pad/Left Analog-Stick: Changes direction ship is facing Right Analog-Stick: Moves ship forward or backward Start: Brings up the bar that toggles the rumble feature on/off and pauses the game Select: Toggles the World Sphere/Map on/off X: Dismount from the ship Triangle: Reverses ship Square: Accelerates ship Circle: Return to 3F Command Center of Balamb Garden R1: Rotates the camera clockwise L1: Rotates the camera anti-clockwise R2: Switches between view points For the Japanese version: D-pad/Left Analog-Stick: Changes direction ship is facing Right Analog-Stick: Moves ship forward or backward Start: Brings up the bar that toggles the rumble feature on/off and pauses the game Select: Toggles the World Sphere/Map on/off Circle: Dismount from the ship X: Reverses ship Square: Accelerates ship Triangle: Return to 3F Command Center of Balamb Garden R1: Rotates the camera clockwise L1: Rotates the camera anti-clockwise R2: Switches between view points.

Balamb City under Siege

The Galbadian sentry lets Squall through on account that the latter has information regarding Ellone. Check out the houses here (especially Zell's) before proceeding to Balamb Hotel. Talk to the guards there. It seems that you'll need to find the Captain 1st. Head to the docks and converse with all the soldiers. Take note of the dog here, too. Squall discovers that the Captain has just left after fishing from here. You'll also find a Tabloid Guy hidden in the lower-right corner at the docks. You can buy information from him, but it'll lower your SeeD rank. Head back to Zell's house (you can rest up and save here). The Captain has just used the kitchen, and upon exiting make your way to the train station. Talk to everyone there. Proceed to the docks. The dog there will lead Squall to the Captain, who's currently at the train station. Meet up with Raijin, and pursue him back to the Hotel. Tip: You have to draw a G.F pretty soon; be sure to equip the Draw command. Alternatively, you can simply ask the Tabloid Guy hiding at the harbour for a "gold" clue; he'll bring you straight to the Captain. However, this brings down your SeeD rank. Another method would be be hang around and do nothing for about 15 minutes; by the time you re-visit the Hotel the Captain should be back.

BOSS: Raijin HP: 9,200

First rid of his 2 allies by summoning a G.F, then concentrate your attacks on him. Raijin has a high offensive capability, but that's easily countered by casting Protect on yourselves or using a Blind spell on him. You can mug Str Up from him.

BOSS: Raijin HP: 10,800

Start off the battle by drawing G.F. Pandemona from Fujin and casting Blind on Raijin, that will completely rid of his physical attacks. Concentrate on removing Raijin first. Fujin boasts of a deadly skill, 'Sai' (Shatter), which reduces your HPs to 1, so be wary. Junction Bio to Elemental Attack if you so wish. Also, both bosses offer 2 items which you can steal: a Str Up from Raijin and a Megalixir from Fujin. You'll receive Combat King 002 after this fight.

Trabia Garden

Just follow Selphie, and when she meets up with her ex-classmate at the gargoyle statue, Squall is asked if he's been looking after Selphie: - (Not really.) - (Just play along with it.) It doesn't really matter which option you select. Her ex-classmate holds Selphie's card, by the way. The 'Random' rule enforced here might make things difficult, though. Squall leaves Selphie alone for now; you can meet up with the rest at the basketball court. Do so by taking a left from the statue, another left at the makeshift dorms, then following the one-way path. Or you could stray off and explore the other areas of Trabia Garden, converse with the survivors and get information. I suggest you do the latter first. In the flashback scene at the basketball court, you'll be controlling Squall at one time. Proceed upwards to head for the beach. In another scene, talk to all the children before heading through the door on the right. *spoiler ahead... skip this paragraph if you wish* The party questions the necessity for bloodshed... but they know that conflict is inevitable. Irvine recalls his childhood, spent at an orphanage. This triggers off more memories for the other members, which reveals a startling fact long forgotten -- Edea was their matron at the orphanage. Side events: The cemetery at Trabia Garden hides an issue of Timber Maniacs. Apart from that, there's also the August issue of Weapons Monthly. You'll have to talk to a student to the right of the dorms, who'll hint at the existence of a hidden treasure... starting from the gargoyle statue, take exactly 5 steps south and search the ground. You should get your copy. If you have trouble finding it, simply tap 'X' (U.S) or 'Circle' (Japanese) repeatedly around the area south of the statue... the game isn't too particular about where you examine.

Invasion-Balamb Garden

You'll have to swap your G.Fs around quite a few times here, or simply use Diablos' Encounter None ability to save yourself the trouble. Be sure to save beforehand. Squall is informed of Galbadia Garden's presence in the vicinity. You have to give a set of orders to the students, before Squall is ordered downstairs. Here're the available commands: - (No orders/End.) - (My feelings on this.) - (The Garden's course.) - (Prepare for the attack.) - (Prepare our defense.) - (Call my comrades.) - (What to do with the hot dogs.) - (Take care of the junior classmen.) Give out your commands in this order: 'The Garden's course', 'Prepare for the attack', 'Prepare our defense', 'Call my comrades', 'Take care of the junior classmen' and 'No orders/End'. Add a few more if you like... Nida won't like it, though. Meet up with your companions, and after directing everyone to their positions on the 2nd Floor, head for the Quad. Zell'll be assembling the troops. Return to the 3rd floor, where both Gardens will mount a massive attack on each other. You'll be controlling Zell's party now. Head back to the western wing of the Quad, where a collision will throw Rinoa off the platform. Leave her for now, and make your way to the Front Gate to meet up with Squall. If you haven't already done so, the GIM52As in the vicinity carry Missiles, which allow Quistis to learn her Micro Missile. You'll have to form a party of 3: - Selphie, Quistis - Quistis, Irvine - Irvine, Selphie Squall is a compulsory character here, whereas Zell is assigned to rescue Rinoa. When you're done, head back to the Garden and take a left to reach a save point. Junction your members before moving to the 2F classrooms via the elevator. You'll have to combat 4 green Galbadian paratroopers here. They're pretty quick (and nasty) on the offensive, and have Demi magic available for casting. You should be able to take them out with a G.F or Death spells, but if you get low on health, using your limit breaks is a good idea. Talk to everyone in the classroom before leaving. Nida requires Squall's presence on the 3rd floor bridge. Squall predicts that Balamb Garden will not be able to hold off the enemy for long; he decides to carry out a last-ditch attack on Edea's army. Proceed to the 2nd floor when you're done. Squall is asked to look for a missing child -- you can find him towards the end of the corridor on the 2F, but in the resulting melee Squall gets knocked down by a trooper. He'll pin Squall against the wall. Hit 'X' (U.S) or 'Circle' (Japanese) to reveal 3 choices, and take the 3rd one for Squall to notice the emergency hatchet. Press the same button again, then select the 2nd option to unlock the door. You'll get involved in a mini-game. Controls: X: Punch Triangle: Kick Square: Block Circle: Deathblow (appears later) Circle: Punch X: Kick Square: Block Triangle: Deathblow (appears later) Squall'll start off at a disadvantage with lesser health (check the red bar at the lower-left corner for his HP), and the 1st time you experience this mini-game it'll prove to be a little tricky to win. Basically, there're 2 methods to get past this. Method 1: Mash away at the 'Punch' button straight from the start. If you're fast enough, Squall should cut off every single attempt to retaliate from the trooper. If the opponent starts to block repeatedly, kick him. Method 2: Hold 'Block' until the 'Deathblow' command appears. Press the specified button to knock off two-thirds of the trooper's health, and finish him off with a flurry of punches and kicks. You can choose to reverse the order here (meaning, smack him with a few punches, then hold Block until Deathblow appears).

Invasion-Galbadia Garden (continued)

Once Rinoa is rescued, you should begin by heading left. Both Squall and Rinoa share a moment outside the Garden's compound, and the latter thanks Squall for saving her life, with a slight hint of her feelings towards her savior. Name your ring (Griever), then select the 2nd option to enter Galbadia Garden together with Rinoa. Inside, save and re-organize your party (don't forget to junction and equip GFs!). Take a right, then another right in the next screen to reach the stairs. Going upstairs, you'll come across Raijin and Fujin, who'll choose to leave Seifer in the hands of Squall. Go left from there and enter a door on the right to get your 1st Card Key (talk to the male student). Along the way you may get into an encounter against Death Claws (furry monsters carrying 4 blades) have a useful spell if it's above 30 levels,Reflect. This junctions well to the SPR slot. The Slappers here (demi-human ice hockey players) carry a lot of experience points, if you want to go a couple of levels higher. Return to the save point, then take a left, and enter the left door. Run across the ice hockey rink and exit through the door on the right (the left door holds a Life draw point, btw). The next area has an entrance opposite to where Squall is. Enter and converse with the student inside to get your Lv. 2 Card Key. Go back to the save point area. Proceed right to the stairs where you had met Fujin and Raijin earlier and climb it to the rooftop . Leap down onto the tennis court, and head left. The next region should look familiar to you (since you've been there already), just keeping moving down the hall and ignore the staircase. Then when you reach the Main Hall of Galbadia Garden, a G.F. boss will be standing in the center. This fight is optional but keep in mind that there's a save point to the east side of the Hall.

Boss G.F: Cerberus HP: 10,000 (optional)

This GF constantly casts Triple on itself (counter this by using Dispell on it). Beat it around with a few 'Demi' spells and anything else non-wind nor thunder elemental related. Draw a few Triple spells from it if you can; they act as pretty good spells for junctioning to any parameter. Cerberus carries a Spd-J Scroll; be sure to mug it, if you have that ability.

Boss: Seifer HP: 10,000

He's pretty tough in this battle. Try to counter his high attack power by casting Protect on everyone (Squall first). Don't worry about his weak magic power. Once Seifer gets down to half of his total HP he'll start using his 'Demon Slice', which deals out a pretty devastating sum of damage to a single member. Keep two (or one) allies as healers/revivers, and attack Seifer. I suggest you take Squall as the main attacker since his Gunblade offers critical hits.

Return to the 2F, then head right from the stairs. Proceed anti-clockwise to find an invisible save point (use Siren's 'Move-Find' party ability to see it) a bit further down. Enter the Auditorium to your right. Tip: The upcoming battle sees another drawable G.F up for grabs; make sure someone's carrying the 'Draw' command.

BOSS: Seifer HP: 7,400

Start off the battle by using poison, he is succeptible to it. He's weakened in this confrontation, but take time to steal from him before finishing him off. You'll have to fight him and Edea consecutively, so don't dawdle too much.

BOSS: Edea HP: 15,000

Start off the battle bye Drawing G.F. Alexander from her. Then, follow up with Shell on your members. Edea is capable of a few pretty nasty spells, and has the effective Death spell at her disposal. Attack her with Diablos, and be sure to leave a character on standby to revive those hit by Edea's Death spell. If you have death magic, make sure you junction it to your status defense. Defeat her quickly, or you'll run yourselves into trouble. Beacause Edea's Maelstrom is a gravity-based attack which takes off half of each member's current HP, in addition to causing status anomalities. Also, Do NOT summon Carbuncle, it not work. When Edea casts reflect, break that with Dispell.If you have meltdown, use it to weaken her defenses signifigantly.

You did it!! That's all for the second disc!

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