g. PHOENIX TOWER

(Actually, I think you can do this part of the game before saving North Corel, but this is the order I did it in, partly because I didn't have any clue as to where to go at the time.... ^_^;)

Pop into the Highwind and fly back to the blue tower with the big gold bird on it (read section 3l if you don't remember where it was). Enter it, and talk to the sleeping guy in the white outfit and big hat in the upper room. Now, climb to the top of the tower and talk to the man in the room with the locked door. Choose the middle option, and you'll get to play a mini-game. For instructions/strategies, please refer to the 'Having Fun' bit in section 6.

When you win, go out the sealed door. You can get a Red Materia here (Phoenix), and if you talk to the man in white, you get an item. Now, head back to the village on the Southern Continent where you left Tifa and Cloud behind. When you talk to Tifa, the screen will start to shake. Go outside, and you'll be attacked by a huge black dragon.

------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSS TIPS (you can't see his stats.) This boss has some pretty damaging attacks, such as an earth-like spell and a blue ice-fire blast. But looks can be deceiving. Just Haste yourselves to buy more time and keep Summoning your best monsters (Neo Bahamut, Alexander, Phoenix) and use enemy skills to deal out the damage. After enough injury, the boss will fly away. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next scene with Tifa and Cloud is so funny! They're puffy and superdeformed, and well let's just say any sense of danger or surprise at this sudden attack is forgotten once you see wide-eyed Tifa and Cloud escaping the crumbling village.

h. INSIDE CLOUD'S HEAD

After Tifa and Cloud take a dive, you'll find yourself playing with Tifa, who's in a strange world filled with Cloud's memories. First, talk to the northmost Cloud. You'll head into his memories of the trip he took to that one town near the Jenova plant with Sephiroth. When Cloud shows up, speak to him again. When you reach the 'center' of Cloud's mind again, speak to the Cloud on the left. Once you're in control of Tifa, converse with the last Cloud (the one to the right). Then talk to the 'kid' Cloud and look in the window. When you can move Tifa, talk to the 'shadow' Cloud, then to the real Cloud and go back to the town area again. Everything else unfolds by itself. At the end, speak with Cloud one last time, and you'll return to the 'real' world.

i. 100 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA

Back at the airship, prepare a new team. Then, take control of the Highwind. Even though the village may be trashed, you can still buy items, stay for the night, etc. You can also feed the hyperactive kid's Chocobo if you want (NSS). There are two things you can do now: if you go back to Makoro Town, there's a man out front (what he does, I have no clue), and if you talk to the sleeping man in the nearby cave, he'll give you an item (but it doesn't show up on any list, so I don't know what it is). Head back to Cannon Town and go up to the main street area; you'll cut to a scene of the ruined town and Cloud will talk to his teammates. Go to the gray passage between the two lifts; a captain is drilling his men. When they see you, they'll run away. Continue to the end of the passage and go through a door on the left wall labeled '1' (it's hard to see). You'll then be attacked by guards in the elevator. When you step outside, you'll have to battle some more. Go down the slope and through the door, then walk until you see a door in the following room. At the bottom of the stairs in the adjoining hall is a Save Point; next to that is another work lift that goes down to a furnace area. Walk north until you reach the underwater tube, then go along it until you reach the big building with a single door.

In the next room, examine the flashing light. Water will be pumped out of the chamber. Step outside, and you'll be in a huge undersea bay with several submarines. Continue along the walkway and go through the door; there's a second Save Point in the following area. In the room nearby, there's a guard, and he'll attack you if you talk to him. You should fight him first, since you'll be ambushed by all three guards if you don't. Beat the other guards and get through the gate to proceed. However, if you do let the guards ambush you, you won't have to fight the other set at the back of the room. Cloud automatically stops before the machine in the next room; keep going to the right afterwards. After seeing some Materia being loaded onto a submarine, you'll encounter another Shinra baddie who sends a mechanical freak to do his bidding while he makes a hasty retreat.

------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSS TIPS - body (hp: 24000 mp: 200) - right arm (hp: 10000 mp: 100) - left arm (hp: 10000 mp: 100)

This boss is composed of three parts. He can imprison two of your characters in his arms, and they recieve 1/3 the amount of damage that he receives from your attacks. However, since he has three parts, an attack that strikes more than one part means the trapped ally gets hit twice or even three times! Furthermore, if the third character is killed while the other two are imprisoned, the battle is instantly lost. Destroying his arms should be your top priority, but the arms rotate and switch sides when they are hit, so adjust your attacks accordingly. Summoning spells and enemy skills work well here. The boss' attacks are not so strong, but they come quickly. His worst one is a laser ray that strikes all members for +1600 damage. BTW, the only way to free a character is to destroy the arm that's holding them, or have him or her die. This makes the Phoenix summon very useful if you just freed a friend and want to revive and attack at the same time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Head to the left to get the treasure chest, then go right and head down to the farthest pier. Open two more chests, then board the submarine and fight the guards. Inside, you'll fight some more goons when you're ambushed. Put the Save Point to good use, then head through the door to the bridge. When talking to the guards, you can choose the bottom option and let them live, or you can fight and kill them if you choose the top option. To start the sub, approach the chair and examine it. Choose the middle option to get into the chair, then choose the top option for a description of the controls, or the bottom option to begin piloting the sub.

Your controls on the submarine are:

S Shoot torpedoes (only when you're near an enemy craft) X Backward thrust T Forward thrust Pad Move left/right or descend/raise R1 Switch between close-up or bird's eye view R2 Switch between near, overhead, or cockpit view Start Pause; show control screen

The walls of the ocean floor are shown in blue, and there are diamond- shaped mines that are invisible until you get close. You can tell how far they are from the floor by the red columns beneath them. I guess the purpose of this 'mini-game' is to destroy the the main Shinra sub (red) in the time allotted, although you can kill the yellow submarines if you want to protect yourself. During the mission, the following warnings will appear:

WARNING When an enemy sub is approaching ALERT When an enemy sub is firing MINE You are about to run into a mine CONFLICT The sub cannot move because you are steering it against/along a rock face

You lose the game if one of two things happen; time runs out (you have 10 minutes to destroy all 10 enemy subs), or if your life bar (which is represented by the red/green bar at the bottom of the screen) is depleted as a result of being hit by missiles, crashing into the walls or floor once too often, or ramming another sub. If you win, then the sub (gray) is automatically piloted to shore.

If you mess up, your characters will jettison themselves from the sub. You'll come to on the shore, where your dolphin friend will be whacking you on the head to wake you up ;). Go back into the main part of Cannon Town and work your way back through they gray hallway, down the elevator with the woman, and to the room with the guards, a dog, and the sloping floor. Beat the guards and examine the dog. When he moves aside, follow him and examine him again. Choose the top option, and you'll enter the red Shinra submarine. When the guards show up, choose the top option to let them go, or the bottom option to fight them. In the cockpit room, choose the top option to save the commander, or the bottom option to fight him and his men. Either way, you still get to pilot the sub. Note that if you got the gray sub, you can't go through here and get the red sub.

The controls for either submarine are:

X Submerge/Ascend O Propel forward - (doesn't work in overhead view) Pad Move in any direction - (raise or lower while underwater) L1/R1 Turn to the left or right L2/R2 Switch from side/overhead view - (doesn't work while underwater) Start Show/enlarge/hide map - (cannot enlarge map while underwater) Select Same as Start

The submarine can cross deep water, but not shallows. If you can't get by an area while skimming the sea, try submerging and looking for a passage. If you can't get over a rock wall while submerged, try ascending and looking for another way around. Also, the sub can only land at docks like the one near Cannon Town, but not all of the docks 'work'. BTW, the mini-game also becomes available at the Gold Saucer once you have a submarine. A side note for those of you who get a kick out of those automatic sequences; if you go to the bay where the Highwind was kept after getting the submarine, you can watch a huge carrier plane lift off. But if you clear out the sunken plane in section 4j first, then you can't see it. Whether the two planes are the same one or not, I don't know.

(NOTE: I did this after reaching Disc 3, but if you got the gray sub, you can sail southeast from the house with the weaponsmith <near Cid's town>, to where the small string of islands are. If you submerge, the red sub will be here. You can't board it, but you will get a Key Item <I don't know what it is>. I doubt you can do this if you got the red submarine, but I don't know for sure.)

j. UNDERWATER ADVENTURE

First, go straight west from the Cannon Town dock. You'll reach a jutting peninsula; go around it and south until you reach land. You should be able to see the Gold Saucer from where you are. Descend, and you'll find a wrecked plane. What are you waiting for? Go and take a look around!

Go down the ladder. To the right is a chest and a Save Point. Go through the northern door with the Shinra emblem on it, up the walkway, then run to the right. Grab the blue chest, go back to the walkway in the front, and head right to get another chest. Go down the slope and head to the upper-right corner to get a Yellow Materia (Dual Attack). After that, go to the far left; there's another chest that's hidden by a pipe hanging overhead. Return to the area with the save point and go to the right; you'll find two familiar faces. After chatting with Cloud, you'll do battle with the Shinra goons.

------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSS TIPS - guy with weapon (hp: 15000 mp: 230) - bald guy (hp: 20000 mp: 280)

The guy with the weapon hurls fireballs at you nonstop, and the bald one can cast Fire spells. They also have the nasty ability to confuse you. Once you inflict enough damage on one of them, he will leave. If you kill the guy with the weapon, then the bald guy will simply stand around and do nothing until you lower his HP to 0. For a quick win, Haste and Barrier yourself, then use Ultima, Meteor, and Summoning spells. If you've learned it, Cloud's B3/1 should be used every chance you get. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go into the northern door. In the next room, take the contents of the chest nearby, then walk all the way up and then right to get yet another treasure chest. Go back to the stairs and go down them; there are two treasure chests at the bottom left and right corners of the screen. If you look carefully by the ruined helicopter, there's a Red Materia (Crochan) just by the edge of the chopper and the blown-off piece lying nearby. I don't know what else you're supposed to do here, and the two Shinra members simply vanished into thin air, so I left. Make sure you got _all_ the items in the wrecked plane--one of them is used when you return to Yuffie's hometown in a moment.

The next underwater place you want to go to is to the south and west of the Northern Continent, where there are three small islands creating a crescent moon-type shape. You should be in sight of snowy ground. Dive, and you'll see and underwater passage at the end of what appears to be a dead-end turn. In the passage is a spikey, vertical object; touch it and you'll get some sort of item. Whatever it is, you'll have to have it later on, so don't miss it.

Now, go back to Yuffie's home on the Westernmost Continent. Remember those fire-pits in the mountains you couldn't cross? Well, one of the items you picked up in the wrecked undersea plane lets you extinguish the fires. Go through the mountains until you reach the cave entrance, then try to touch the fire-pit twice to reveal a chest which contains a Blue Materia (Affect All). Then follow the path until you reach another fire-pit; touch it to remove the flames and reveal a second Blue Materia.

k. CID'S ROCKET

Return to the town where you met Cid (beyond the mountains by the Gold Saucer), and go to the back where the rocket ship is. The place is swarming with Shinra, and when you approach the ship, you'll have to battle soldiers. At the top of the stairs, you'll face more guards. Once you've cleared them, Cid will show up and join you if he's not already with you. (If this happens, a command window with some buttons appears in it...what for?) Climb the ladder and you'll fight yet again; this time, it's against the bald punk from the sunken plane and two more Shinra soldiers.

------------------------------------------------------------------------- TIPS (hey, he's not even a boss!) (hp: 9000 mp: 240) Attacking should do the trick, especially if you've got the Dual Attack materia equipped. He can raise a Mabarrier when the guards are killed, so don't bother with magic. Aside from casting Bolt spells and a 500- damage ground wave, this guy can heal himself for about 1100 hit points. If you kill him before killing the guards, you win the battle instantly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once inside the ship, you enter _another_ battle. Go north into the main room, where Cid will talk to the workers. After the ship lifts off, walk to the right and climb up the ladder. Examine the blue object and choose the top option. Cid will talk to Cloud and then numbered boxes will appear. Instead of removing them with the O button, punch in the following code:

First Message (1): O Second Message (2): S Third Message (3): X Fourth Message (4): X

If you did it correctly, the glass tube will open and you can take the blue object. If you mess up, you'll have 3 minutes to get the code right.

Should the time run out, the blue object is lowered into the ground. Return to the entry room and climb down the ladder; when you get near the sparking tanks, they will explode. With a little help from the girl who lives at Cid's house, you'll free Cid from under a piece of metal. Follow the girl into the next room; it's actually an escape capsule. After a long automatic sequence, you'll find yourself back in the Highwind, with that red satellite in the sky looming ever closer. If you do enter the code, the same event occurs, but at least you have the blue item.

l. Midgard TOWN UNDER SIEGE

Now, get in the airship and fly back to Cosmo Town (it's near the rocky area where the sky changes color). Climb up to the observatory where you met the old man who led you through the caves back in the first disc. Cloud will phone his friends and tell them to come up to the observatory. After your pals leave, Cloud will be alone with the old man and three large chunks of colored stone. Touch any of the stones and choose the bottom option to return to the Highwind (I'm not sure how the first option works, and why it only works on one stone and not the rest). Head back to the Ancient City on the Northern Continent (don't worry, you can land in the blue canyon). Take the left path at the crossroads and return to the room with the big blue crystal (it's to the right of the building with the Save Point). When the old man finishes talking after you've approached the crystal, he'll use the spikey object you found in the underwater passage to trigger a waterfall that washes over the area. Go to the crystal again, and you'll see images of Aerith. As you leave the room, Cait Sith calls you on Cloud's cell phone and another automated sequence occurs. Once you leave the Ancient City and try to board the Highwind, another huge monster shows up. You can't attack it while in the airship (and you can't get to it in the sub), so wait for it to reach the continent. If you try to touch it once it's on land, there's another FMV sequence.

(NOTE: I didn't do this until Disc 3, so it may not work until then, but...if you return to Cosmo Town with Red 13 in your party, then the old man will die and Red 13 will mourn him. Afterwards, if you go to the observatory and examine the large floating blue stone <the one to the far right>, pick the top option. The game will pause for a moment, and you'll get a Summon Materia <Bahamut Zero>.)

Now that the shield around the Northern Continent is no longer active, return there once the sequence finishes. There's some more talking among your characters and the Shinra executives. Go back and try to fly the airship 'into' Makoro Town, and you and your allies will gather together. Once you're on the airship's deck, choose the top option to assemble a new party, or the bottom option to leap off the ship and parachute into the city. Follow your teammates to an alley where a Save Point is, then examine the wooden panel to reveal a hidden passage. At the bottom, head north, then east. Go up the slope and when you get to the dead end, you can find two chests; one to the right and one to the left. Head back to the start and go down the stairs, then head down the ladder. Walk to the left and climb up the ladder in the back. Get the chest and go back down, then keep heading right. When the floor gives way, go to the left and head up the ladder. When you reach the top, follow the walkway until you see a large chute; enter it and you'll be taken to another area. Take the chest to the right and go down the ladder, then stand on the gray bar and push down-forward to jump onto the lip of the chute marked '42'. Enter the chute and climb up the ladder on the other end to find a treasure chest. Then, return to the bottom level, climb the ladder, and then go left for another chest. Go up the staircase and you'll arrive at a door and a Save Point.

Climb through the crawlway beyond the door, then head north. Three punks from the Shinra will make an appearance. Choose the bottom option and they'll leave; choose the top option and you'll have to fight them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSS TIPS - man with weapon (hp: 25000 mp: 200) - woman (can't see her stats.) - bald guy (hp: 28000 mp: 250)

The bald guy is healed by fire attacks, and can punch one character for 2000 damage. He fights like he did at the rocket in section 4k. The lady can hurl flames that damage all members for about 500-600 points, and the armed guy has a spark attack that hits for 800 points of damage. Alone, their attacks aren't anything too dangerous, but with all three of them, this battle becomes tougher than it first seems. As usual, Barrier and Haste yourselves as soon as possible, then use damaging spells like Ultima and Meteor, as well as Summon Materia. Try to save Phoenix until you really need it (since it will heal the bald guy, use it only if your other teammates are dead). They'll all escape after you dole out enough punishment. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

There's a lot of cool items to grab in this section of the city (maybe you should of gotten them before the battle...I forgot about that ;)) While some of the passages split off in two directions, one direction always ends at a blocked door, so just keep going south. After a while, you'll run into Barett. Keep on going, and you'll find a treasure chest on the left wall of one of the splitting passage-rooms. At the next splitting room, there's a chest near the sparking wall right between the two passages. Red 13 is also here. Two screens later, you'll find two more chests in the center of the splitting passage. The good news is that in the next hallway is a Save Point, and to the right of it, a Yellow Materia (Dual Item). The bad news is that it's a dead end and you have to go all the way back. A note about the characters you meet; they obviously don't show up if they're in your party, so you may meet other characters than the ones listed in this section.

North from the first hall is a split passage; Yuffie is here. You'll also notice that you can go left or right. Go right and you'll find Tifa in the hallway. Beyond her is Cid and another passage; the right passage leads to a dead-end, so take the left route. Climb up the ladder and you'll find yourself back at the Shinra Headquarters. When you approach the building, Cait Sith pops out. There's nothing of interest in the entirety of the building, unless you missed something the first time. However, on floor 64, check out the locker room in the back of the floor, to the right. You can get two items; one in the first row of lockers, and one in the back (I don't think you could get to them before). Return to the room with Yuffie and head left and climb up the left side of the red beams. When you land on the street, a huge machine shows up, controlled by the fat man and the lady from Shinra. After taunting you, you'll have to fight them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSS TIPS - head (can't see it's stats.) - chest (hp: 20000 mp: 300)

This mechanical monstrosity has two parts; a head and a chest area that you can aim your attacks at. For it's size, the boss can only cause around 500-800 damage with any of it's attacks. Barrier and Haste your group, then use Limit Breaks and physical attacks; there's no need to waste magic unless you want to heal yourself or summon monsters. From time to time, the robot will kneel; fight quickly since it can fire a blue laser ray from the gun on it's back that hits for 1100 damage to all members. Even after you destroy the chest area, you'll still have to keep on attacking it. After awhile, the battle ends. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the machine explodes, it starts to rain. Head north to find a Save Point and two treasure chests. Go up the ladder and talk to Cait Sith, then follow him. Vincent is waiting for you on the landing, and there's a blue chest on the top of the next stairway. If Barett's in your party, there's some dialogue with him once you get the item (which I guess is a weapon for Barett--but you can't level-up Materia with it equipped). However, the chest won't appear if Barett isn't in your party (NSS). At the top of the next stairwell, run to the right. Talk to the operator at the control panels, and you get to fight him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSS TIPS - first form (hp: 13000 mp: 250) - tentacle m (hp: 10000 mp: 200) - floating m (hp: 11000 mp: 120) - second form (hp: 26000 mp: 200) - both limbs (share hp with body) - third form (can't see his stats.)

This boss can create monsters to guard him. Keep attacking until he dies. He'll then become a large beast, but his attacks are weak, though he can put a character to sleep. In his third incarnation, he can hit a character multiple times, poison them, and mute them. However, even his multiple-hit moves strike for only 200-500 damage so he's a rather easy boss overall, but if he hits you more than 2 times in succession, you run the risk of falling asleep. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

You'll return to the Highwind after killing the boss. There's a short sequence with Tifa and Cloud afterward, then the Highwind blasts off into the sky.