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| Disc Two |
The second disc contains most of what the first one didn't have. Except for the last little dungeon and the battle with the game's boss, you'll find the last stretch of the game right here (the last one is mostly just flash). Here you'll pick up from the tragic scene where the first one left off, and begin to plot your revenge against Sephiroth. Now it's time to get to the root of the problem, and maybe even stop the world from blowing up along the way...
| Glacier Lodge |
Your first stop on the second disc is a building high up on top of a snow-covered mountain. Here you'll finally get a chance to do the requisite snow boarding all RPGs have had since the dawn of time (what, you say they haven't?). Before that, though, you should look around. Head to the eastern section of this little village and enter a house to find a map you should take with you on your impending journey (the house is near where two children are working on a snowman).
Once you've pretty much explored all the buildings and are ready to leave, head to the north of the village. A man there will give you a warning, which of course you must ignore. Then Irene from the Turks will come, and you'll avoid her. After that, go to a house where a boy will offer you a snowboard. You take it and now can head down the mountain (this part of the game is fun).
You can probably figure out how to pilot the snowboard. If you've played Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast, you'll find that the snowboarding here is almost identical. You can try for points if you like, which is always fun, but it really doesn't matter. You'll later have the option to snowboard all you like at the Golden Saucer.
Once you reach the bottom, you can look at the map you obtained at the lodge to get some idea of where you are now.
| Mountain Base |
You will have several adventures at the base of the mountain you just descended while riding the snowboard. Some of these areas can be frustrating, but they're actually quite simple if you slow down and take it easy.
At first, you must head towards a red check mark that should be on your map. You'll be fairly far away from it, on something of a spiderweb of trails. Take any route you like to reach the 'X', and remember to check back often in order to avoid needlessly walking in circles (and thus meeting many enemies).
Once you get to the 'x', a new challenge awaits. You're facing waht seems quite like a wall of snow. It's really just a blizzard. You must keep moving, but now the pathway isn't so clear. You have to head directly across a plain, and will never reach the edge unless you leave stakes behind you. You press the 'O' button to drop them. Whenever the snow picks up really hard, just stop moving. The area will rotate slightly, and you want to keep heading in the same direction as you was before. The stakes you dropped will let you know where you just came from so that you don't walk in circles.
Now that you've passed that ordeal, you'll find yourself facing another one: a cliff face. Climbing this in the cold weather is really quite difficult. Fortunately, just at the base there is a small hut. You can (and should) enter here to rest up and save. With your progress saved, you can make the attempt.
As you climb, you will find several mountain caves. In the first one, push a boulder out of your pathway in order to proceed. In the second, break ice blocks and fit them into holes. And in the third one, you'll get to fight a boss of sorts. After that, you'll reach the mountain's peak. But wait! It's not so simple. When you are outside and exposed to the elements, you must keep warm. There are several ledges you can rest at, and you must if you wish to reach the top. Climb from time to time, stop at a ledge, and tap the button to warm up. You can keep an eye on your temperature. If the number drops too low, you pass out and must start over at the cabin. So be sure you warm yourself up, which is really quite simple. Otherwise, you'll end up wasting time and being forced to make several attempts.
| The Crater |
Ah, the Crater. What would a Final Fantasy game be these days without at least some reference to craters or space? Well, Final Fantasy 7 really makes use of it. In fact, this area will later prove the site of the confrontation with the game's boss... but not yet.
Your first order of business is to move your group around the little maze and pass through energy fields. If you don't move at exactly the right time, you will be zapped and unable to proceed. Keep in mind that you can only move when there is nearly no trace of the fields (which do drop from time to time). When this happens, rush through and cross your fingers. The second field is actually a combination of two fields, so your timing will need to be even better. It's far from impossible, though, so you'll succeed soon enough.
From there, you have to give the black materia to Red XIII so that Cloud won't inadvertantly surrender it to Sephiroth again. Move forward through a third set of fields (this time there's going to be a bit more skill involved) to find yourself involved in a series of flashbacks which I still don't entirely understand. Once this ends, you're taken away from the scene to a prison, as you are the one thought to have summoned a giant, destructive meteor which is now headed towards the planet (of course you are innocent; Sephiroth is the true culprit).
| Shinra Airbase |
You're in big trouble! It looks like your group, after so many adventures, is about to be executed for a crime you really didn't commit. That escape down the mountain got you nowhere; you're still falsely accused.
Following several events, you'll find Tifa locked in a cell. There's nothing you can do now, though, so you'll have to let her stay there until later. For now, work your way through some chambers until you find Yuffie. She suggests that you should go to the airport section of the base, which is a good idea. Do as she says.
Now you switch to controlling Tifa. Your goal is to move the chair around in such a fashion that she can escape her little prison. To do this, you must press buttons as the game will detail, until you have the key. Free yourself and find the switch for the gas in the room, then turn it off and head for the door. Search it to bring on another sequence. Now Tifa must head down towards the end of a giant cannon and participate in another (rather amusing) mini-game. After successfully finishing that, you'll be rescued by your friends, who have secured an airship called Highwind.
| Highwind |
The airship is somewhat confusing at first. You must head down under and talk to your friends, then to the man who is at the controls. When you talk to him, you will have the option of piloting the ship. Of course you must accept that option if you wish to continue with the game. I won't list the controls here because you can either read the instruction booklet or figure them out on your own (they're quite simple). When you are controlling it, you should head towards the town of Mideel. It's in the southeastern portion of the world.
| Mideel |
Mainly, this is just in the game to reveal more of the storyline, which is all pretty cool. When you arrive here, you will find Cloud. There's one catch: he's lost most of his memory as a result of all the trauma that took place earlier. Tifa, of course, feels quite sorry for him and decides to stay with him here and help him recover (I wonder how she does that).
Since Tifa and Cloud are both temporarily out of the group, the new leader will be Cid. He should choose who will help him, and you now head back to North Corel, located near the Golden Saucer.
There, you will soon find yourself riding a train in pursuit of the Shinra people.
| The Train |
This is an important event. You should have saved just before coming here so that if you mess up you can save without having to do much over again. Back to the matter at hand.
You have exactly 10 minutes to catch up to the Shinra train. If you do not do this quickly enough, the game will still proceed. However, you will miss out on an important item. Therefore, I recommend trying over again if you fail. You want this item! So, it's time for me to tell you how to succeed.
First of all, you have to catch the train that's in the lead. You do this by keeping your train moving (to do this, press the triangle button and the up button alternately and repeatedly, such as up, triangle, up, triangle, up, triangle, etc.). Press the buttons quickly so that you catch up to the train that is in the lead with enough time to spare.
Once you have boarded the train, the adventure is far from over. You must battle your way to the front of the train, keeping in mind that the clock is still ticking. You have to get to the controls with some time to spare. And once you reach the controls, you have to enter the code that will bring the train to a halt. Press 'up' and 'triangle' simultaneously, as well as 'down' and 'x' simultaneously.
Now you get your items and the town is saved (the first time I went through, I did it too slowly and half the town died).
| Fort Condor |
Your next objective is Fort Condor, which Shinra forces are attacking. They want the second piece of the Huge Materia (the first was what the train ride was all about), and so it's your job to stop them from reaching their objective. Talk to an old man sitting at a table and offer him your help (remember that you should have saved just before entering this area, just like was the case with the train). Once that's done, head up a ladder and have the objectives explained to you. Then you'll enter another mini-game. This time, you control troops to keep the enemies away from the top of the mountain.
Afterward, you'll receive the Huge Materia from the man you helped. He's grateful you saved a giant egg from destruction. Pick up the Summoning Materia you can find out there, then head back to see how Cloud is doing.
| Mideel |
Back in the village, you should first rest up and do some exploring. If you do certain things, you even get some hidden items. Follow this process:
1. Talk to the white chocobo that is roaming the village, and give him the 'mimento' herb (which you should have bought from Choco Billy's place back at the Chocobo Farm).
2. Now choose to pet the little guy's ears (the fifth of the choices you are presented with). You'll receive an orb.
Another item lies hidden in this town. Here's the process to find it:
1. Enter the weapons shop and examine a door to find that it won't open without a key.
2. Find an old man standing outside a building in the left-most portion of the town. Search behind him and you will soon hear the sound of a faint 'click'.
3. Search the place where you heard the clicking and you will now find a rusty, old key.
4. Go to the weapons shop again and try the key on the door. The key will break and you will be told that it was actually only a painting. For your efforts, you'll be rewarded with the ring of the cursed (hmm, was it worth it?).
With all that done, you should save before you talk to Tifa. You'll soon go outside to fight Weapon, the guardian of the planet. After the battle, a new sequence of events will follow. To escape this new area, talk to each image of Cloud. All the images will reveal more of the story, and you're going to be reading quite a bit. Once that's all over, you should head to Junon.
| Junon |
If you don't know where Junon is, you won't have trouble finding it. Built right on the edge of the ocean, this wonderful work of architecture features a huge canon. In fact, it's the area you just escaped not long ago! You have a reason to come back here, though. Undaunted by your previous efforts to stop them, Shinra has decided to scour the ocean bottom for the last piece of the Huge Materia.
Begin by paying 10 gil to ride an elevator. In the new area, head for the underpass which leads to the ocean makoro. Battle through the area to reach an encounter with a huge, mech robot. This battle is actually fairly tough. That done, it's time to head towards a submarine. Be sure, before entering, to get all the items lying around. One of them is quite important if you're one of the people who likes to get everything in a game (in other words, you'll need one of these items later).
You'll soon enter another minigame. The goal here is to sink the red submarine. You have 10 minutes in which to destroy it and various other submarines that are coming. Of course, you should have saved before entering this minigame, just in case you happen to fail on the first attempt. I can't remember if there's a save point in front of the submarine or not. If there is, use it before entering.
Before you go to the next location, you can search the ocean depths. First you should look around in the submarine that you just now sunk. There are also other subs down there, and one of them has the Hades Summoning Materia. Also, somewhere nearby, there is a key in a well-hidden cave.
When you decide to proceed, you should head next to the Rocket Village.
| Rocket Village |
Again, you should save before entering this place. Once you have entered, head immediately towards the rocket. You'll engage in a battle against Rufus again. Then the way will be clear to head to the control room. There, you will need to enter a code to stop some destruction. The code you should enter is: CIRCLE, SQUARE, X, X.
This will end your business here, and you can now head towards Cosmo Canyon with all four Huge Materia pieces in your possession (if you don't have them, you'll miss out on some of the game's excitement).
| Cosmo Canyon |
The reason to come here is to place the Huge Materia together in one room. With them all united, you can receive special new materia, including a summoning one. All of this, of course, is very exciting, but I went through the game the first time without knowing about it. After this stop, you should now go to the Shell Village.
| Shell Village |
In the village, go to the left cavern first. You'll need to use the shell key that you found at the bottom of the ocean not long before coming here. This will reveal more of the game's storyline, and you'll get a new idea of what Aeris was doing when she let herself get killed by Sephiroth. Your next stop is Midgar. You're nearing the game's end now.
| Midgar |
As you first come here, you learn that Weapon is intent on destroying the city of Midgar. Of course you want to save it, so you must confront Weapon. Wait until you see him coming, then crash into him and duke it out. Once that is over, you'll take a brief trip back to the Crater, then return to Midgar for the final scenes on this disc.
To enter this time, you must work your way through some tunnels. After you have decided which members will be in your group, follow Cait into the passageways. A short distance in, you will find the Turks, whom you battle. Further in, you get to fight against Scarlett. And then you reach the canon.
At the canon, the final battle on the disc takes place, and you will be interested at some of the revelations.
After that happens, you will come to realize that the planet doesn't have long to go before the meteor will crash against it and destroy everything. You'll watch as Cloud sends everyone back to consider whether or not they want to become involved in a final resistance effort, or if they just want to go and try and live the last few days as best they can. Perhaps not so surprisingly, everyone returns, and the second disc is over with.
End of Disc Two
Strategy Guide Copyright 2000 by Jason Venter
No portion of this guide may be copied in any way without the express permission of the author. Users who wish to duplicate portions of this guide, or the guide in its entirety, may do so only if they maintain an active, easily visible link to this site within the boundaries of the guide. For other concerns, contact the author.