Guwa! Sorry for this late start...I have so many exams and homeworks this year that I may not be able to put this up as fast as I'd like....(>_<) Please bear with me. I promise to type up as much of this huge thing as I possibly can. Oh, yeah. Remember that this is based on the American version. Just one more thing: this journal is a walkthrough, so it's chock full of SPOILERS.
[DISC 1] [DISC 2] [DISC 3]
The first few missions are really easy, so there's really no point in writing down the details here.... I'll start with Wallmarket. (You'll go there after visiting Aeris' house.) Two words: BUY EQUIPMENT! Talk to the sleeping guy and get a job from him. The more expensive the item you buy for him, the better the tiara you'll get. (This tiara will make the "female" Cloud look better, so Don Corneo may choose him for his "lady of the evening.") Get a Pharmacy Coupon from the soba shop (the small restaurant that looks kind of like a bar). Choose the "Special." Trade in the coupon at the Medicine Shop. (For those of you who can read Japanese, it's the shop with the kanji "kusuri".) Visit the Honeybee Inn (to the right). Talk to the people there. You won't be able to get into Don Corneo's place (far north) just yet, but visit anyway. Get a dress at the Clothing Shop. The girl is going to ask you to find her dad, who is at the bar. Go talk to him, then go back to the clothes shop. Get the wig at the gym. (Again, for Japanese readers, the place with the kanji "otoko" written on the sign three times.) Then get into the mansion. Go to the torture room (upstairs, left). Be sure to pick up the item in there. Follow through with the short sequence in which Don Corneo choses one of the three of you. In the room where Cloud is trapped, there will be an item. Talk to Scotch twice to get out. Then go back to the torture room to get Aeris. Then get Tifa in Corneo's room. Be sure to get the item behind his bed before you try to leave. You'll then be dumped into a sewer, which is pretty self-explanatory.
In the Train Graveyard, you'll have to ride some of the trains to get them into the right position.
Sector 7. The Pillar is pretty straight forward. Marlene will be at Aeris' House. Go there.
Reach the Top Plate by climbing the wires near Don Corneo's mansion. You can go back to the mansion to rescue someone in the torture room if you wish. You will have to buy batteries from the old man at the weapons shop in Wallmarket.
Note: I'm pretty sure you can use that medicine to cure the guy sitting in the pipe, but I forgot to try it. If you get it done, please e-mail me!
Get in by method of choice. If you go in the front door, you'll have to bash your way to the elevator. If you go to the left of the building, there will be a lot of stairs. This is tedious, but safer. On the 59th floor, fight the guards and get a keycard. You'll need several of these to make it all the way up. Go on the elevator.
60th Floor. Try to sneak past the guards, but if you can't get past them, that's ok too. You'll just have to fight them. Take the stairs up.
61st Floor. Talk to the Shinra employees. If you ever get to choose "Where's Aeris?" as an answer, choose the other response. (He doesn't know who Aeris is anyway.) You'll get a keycard from him. Go up. Be sure to talk to all the employees. They'll give you clues.
62nd Floor. On Mayor Domino's Floor, check all the libraries for clues to what his password is. Talk to the guy at the door if you want to buy hints. The password changes each time you start a new game, so I won't be able to tell you which one it is. (^^;;) Sorry!
63rd Floor. This floor is a puzzle; you can get 3 useful items if you get it right. Go to the computer first to initialize the puzzle. First, open 2 doors to get to the leftmost room. Pick up the coupon, crawl though the air duct to the next room, get that coupon, then open 1 more door to get the last coupon. Crawl through the AC duct to get to the computer in order to cash in your coupons.
64th Floor.On the floor with the exercise room, there is a room where you can rest. Return to this room to rest and save your game when you get to later levels.
65th Floor. This floor is relatively easy. Just find the pieces missing in the Midgar model by trying to open chests. The correct one will be unlocked. Place the piece where it belongs, and you will eventually complete the model.
66th Floor. Remember to talk to everyone. Go into the bathroom and climb on top of the toilet. Crawl into the air duct and spy on the Shinra executives as they conduct their meeting. Follow Hojo to the next floor.
67th Floor. Here, you'll eventually find Aeris and Red XIII. However, you will be captured and put in jail.
After you wake up all the guards will be dead. This part is pretty straight forward, so I won't go into detail, but be prepared to fight tough monsters in the elevator. Be sure to reequip Materia!!! You will need magic and long-range weapons to reach the monsters. With Cloud, use the Bolt spell on Rufus repeatedly for good results.
Just bash the guys who attack your buddies. Save your strength for the boss at the end.
Go to Kalm (northeast of Midgar). Follow everyone into the inn. This will initiate Cloud's flashback sequence. Just explore Cloud's past. There's nothing much to do here.
Chocobo Farm. After buying supplies at Kalm, go east to the Chocobo Farm. Buy a Chocobo Lure Materia and about 5 of the cheapest greens. Go out and wander on the tracks until you catch a Chocobo. DON'T HIT THE CHOCOBO! Feed it a green (under Item) first thing. Kill the monsters as fast as you can, and toss the Chocobo another green when it finishes with one. Once you have caught a Chocobo, ride it across the swamp. Get off the Chocobo to enter the cave. Explore the cave for items (there should be a bottle of Ether and a treasure box). You'll eventually come across the Turks, but they won't cause you any trouble this time. Continue on to Junon.
Junon is located under a hill on the coast, so look carefully for it. When you enter, check your party. If you're low on HP/MP, fill up because there's a boss coming up. You'll find the boss at the botton of the stairs to the middle left. Pummel this boss with spells, but Ice probably won't work, since it's a water creature. (I haven't tried, though.) Fire spells work great. If you have acquired the Flame Thrower Enemy Skill, use that. Don't attack the boss when it starts acting funny because it will cast a life draining bubble on one of your characters. You can break this bubble with a Fire spell, but not by hitting it. It will free your ally, but damage him/her in the process.
During CPR, when you must revive Priscilla, fill your lungs as much as possible before breathing into her. Rest up at the house to the bottom left corner.
The rest of Junon is pretty easy. Just try not to mess up too much at the welcoming ceremony. (The better you do, the better the item you receive!) Check all the buildings. You should find plenty of power-ups. Buy what weapons you need, but don't use up all your money. You might need it later.
On the boat, you'll meet up with your friends. When you see all the guards down (does this scene look familiar?), be ready to fight. Make sure your HP/MP are filled up. Then enter the engine room (the door that Shinra guard was guarding downstairs). Talk to the guy in the red. Guess who? It's Sephiroth! However, he'll just drop a piece of Jenova for you to play with and leave. This thing's pretty tough, so heal often and blast away with your magic. That Summon Shiva Materia Priscilla gave you will come in handy. When you've defeated the monster, which turns out to be Jenova's arm, get that treasure chest to the right on the upper level (accessible by the ladder to your left).
Now you get off at Costa del Sol. Be sure to talk to Hojo on the beach. He'll give you some clues (go west, past Mt. Corel). Also, pick up some items in the mansion basement. Rest up, then follow Hojo's hint and go west. (o/` Go west...futari wa... ima odyssey...o/` nevermind...) If you'd like, you can get some good stuff from the guy at the bottom left corner of the Bar del Sol before you leave.
This is the thing that looks like a rollercoaster. Hint: Aim for the one side of the drop, then the other side at the second drop. Be sure to pick up all items. Lower the bridge by going into the small shack and continue into Corel Town.
This is what's left of Barret's hometown. You'll find out why Barret is so angry at Shinra. Besides Barret's flashback, there really isn't that much here. Take the railway to the Gold Saucer.
Buy your ticket and enter. You won't be able to use that Save Point unless you have GP (money you can only use at the Gold Saucer). You can earn GP at Wonder Square by playing various arcade games or at Chocobo Racing by betting. You'll find Cait Sith at Wonder Square.
Chocobo Betting Tip -- Bet on one of the fast, pretty high stamina ones. Then match it with a pretty fast, but very high stamina one.
When you're ready to leave, go to the Battle Area. You'll see a lot of dead people. However, this time, it's not Sephiroth. Someone will tell you that they've been shot by a man with a gun on his arm. Then, the police will come and throw you into the jail.
If you get attacked in Corel Jail, attack the purple guys first because they will steal your stuff. Talk to Barret in his house to the right (second screen of Corel Jail).
After you get Barret, go back north through to the first screen of the prison. Go through the gate opening to the right. If you talk to the man walking around, he'll tell you that if you ever get stuck in the desert, keep going northeast. (You'll eventually get picked up by a Chocobo cart.) Anyway, keep going right. You'll find yourself in a junkyard. Continue on, and you'll find Dyne, Barret's friend from his flashback. Barret will have to fight him, and he's kind of tough, so make sure Barret is equipped with Materia as is able to heal himself.
After defeating Dyne, you'll find out that Marlene is actually Dyne's daughter, not Barret's. Contine to the Chocobo races. You can try winning by using manual control, but it's probably easier to stay on automatic, since you'll eventually win anyway. After your victor, you'll have acquired the buggy. Use this buggy to go south (across the stream). You'll come across an old Makoro site in the Gongaga Area. (Around this time, you'll be able to pick up Yuffie. See Tips, Tricks, and Secrets.)
You'll have to fight Rude and Reno, but they aren't too hard. Pick up some Materia left by Scarlet at the ruined reactor, then continue on to the town. You'll find out some stuff about Zack, Aeris' first boyfriend. Be sure to pick up the Deathblow Materia on your way out.
If you go west, past the forests, you'll see a canyon area. Go north to the cluster of green-roofed huts. This is Cosmo Canyon (called Valley of the Fallen Star in Japanese), Red XIII's hometown. You will learn that his real name is Nanaki. Explore this town. You will find Nanaki at the top of the stairs to the left. When you are ready to continue, go to the top (observatory). You will meet "Grandpa," who will eventually take you to the caves of the Gi.
Gi Caves. These caves are pretty dangerous, so make sure everyone is in good condition. If you get wounded very badly, you may have to leave the caves and return later, after a good rest at the inn. The rock that will open up a passage is in the northern-most cave. Break it. The other rocks all contain monsters. Once in the second section of the cave, be careful. That puddle of shiny stuff will send you flying into some painful spikes if you run on it. Skirt around it carefully and go south to get the Added Effect Matera. Be sure to get all the chests as well, as they contain valuable treasure. Once in the third section, you will see many spider webs. You will have to fight a giant spider each time you encounter a web. These guys are pretty tough, but you can Steal some ether from them. Don't miss the 2 treasure boxes here. Then, heal up before continuing north. Next comes the Gi spirit boss. He's pretty hard to kill. When (and if) you can, use Seal Evil (Aeris' second Level 1 Limit Break) to keep his fire sprites from casting spells. Bombard him with your strongest attacks, preferably including a few Summonings. Once you have defeated him, you will find out the truth of Nanaki's father, Seto. Finish with your restocking of supplies, then head out.
Nibelheim is much different from how Cloud remembered it. The town is, amazingly, intact. Talk to the strange black cloaked figures in the houses to gain some items. Then, go to the Shinra Mansion.
Here, there are a lot of treasure boxes, so be sure to find them all. You'll also find a safe combination puzzle. The clues are: 1) The lid of the box with the most oxygen (look in the greenhouse room); 2) Behind the Ivory's short of tea and ray (look behind the piano); and 3) The creak (they spelled it creek...oops! on their part) in the floor near the chair on the second floor...then to the left 5 steps, up 9 steps, left 2 steps, and up 6 steps (just follow the instructions; if you click on the chair, the floor will creak--get it?). The fourth clue is in invisible ink. The combination you will get is right 36, left 10, right 59, right 97. Once you open it, you'll get a boss to fight. Use your most powerful spells on this guy. You'll get a Materia for Summoning Odin. Also get the key in the safe. You can get Vincent now. (See Tips, Tricks, and Secrets.) Once you have seen Sephiroth in the basement, you can leave the mansion.
Go north through Nibelheim to Mt. Nibel. The monsters here may be a bit challenging for your party, especially the dragons (be sure not to use fire-based spells on them!). Pick up all items. Some of these may only be accessible through the pipes, which you may slide down. Fight the boss that blocks your path, but be prepared. You may wish to save first. Don't use fire-based spells on this monster either. Use Ice when you can. Shiva and Odin will be very useful here. Pick up your new Materia and head out of Mt. Nibel.
Be sure to talk to everyone in town, especially the old man in front of the house to the north. If you look at the rocket with him, he'll give you a special sword called the Yoshiyuki. Use this sword when you have an ally down, and it will inflict massive damage that almost almost rivals that of Sephiroth's! (A good hit can take off 4000+ HP!!!) Go to the rocket and talk to Cid. He won't join you just yet. Go to the house with Tiny Bronco (the plane), and you'll go through a short sequence as Rufus arrives on the scene.
When you go out to Tiny Bronco, you'll have to fight Palmer, the Shinra executive in charge of the Space Program. A few Summons should do the job. Then, you'll get Tiny Bronco and Cid. You'll also have found out that Sephiroth is heading toward the Temple of the Ancients, which is to the south. If you go to Bone Village to the north, you'll discover that you'll need a Keystone (owned by a rich person) to enter the Temple.
South of the Gold Saucer, across the stream, there is the Blacksmith's House. The blacksmith will be able to give you some information on the Temple. He will tell you that he has sold the Keystone to Dio at the Gold Saucer. Go there, and enter Battle Square. Go in, then go to your right, where you will find Dio's Showroom. The Keystone will be in the center. Dio won't give you the Keystone for free, though. You'll have to fight. However, it doesn't matter if you lose. He'll give it to you anyway. You'll then go through a long sequence in which the ropeway malfunctions, and you have to stay there for the night. Cloud can go on a date with Aeris. Be sure to do the play right! Then, you find out that Cait Sith is really a spy for the Shinra. He'll give the Keystone to them. All you'll be able to do then is look for the Temple.
The Temple is located east. It will be fastest to take the Tiny Bronco through the river and go through the continent. It's the pyramid-shaped building in the middle of the forest. When you get inside, you'll come across Tseng, who looks like he's dying. He'll give you the Keystone. Once you get inside the maze, follow the purple creature that's bouncing through the maze. (It's an Ancient spirit.) It'll guide you through beginning of the maze. Be sure to pick up the items along the way. Also, be sure to utilize the vines that enable you to climb the walls. In the area with the big stones rolling across the path, you must run right to the edge of the "U" shaped area so that you end up inside the trench. Run immediately to the next "U" once you have recovered. This will enable you to get to the pool. At the pool, you will go through a scene where you see what happened to Tseng. Continue on to the end of the passage. You will find another Ancient spirit. Be sure to rest and save. You will then have to solve the clock puzzle. If you fall, you will have to fight a tough battle and go through the maze again, so be careful!
Clock Puzzle. For best results, I would recommend using the Triangle button (move it yourself) to move the clock hands. Be careful not to get knocked off the clock by the second hand; you'll fall down to the pit below where you'll have to fight some Ancient Dragons (they're pretty tough, I tell you!). However, you should go there sometime because there's some treasure there. Anyway, visit each of the numbers. Some will have treasure, monsters, or nothing. Visit number 6 last. This is where you'll find Sephiroth. You'll find out his true motives (evil, evil, evil!). Then, you'll have to fight a dragon boss. If you have Vincent in your party, do not use Galian Beast. His Beast Flare will give the dragon 1000+ HP back! When you're done with that one, pick up the Bahamut Materia, and head over to the pedestal with the model of the temple floating above it (it's to your right). You'll find out that in order to get the Black Materia, you must have the whole temple. However, to get it, you'll have to shrink it down to size....while you're still in it! Cait Sith will volunteer to sacrifice himself to get the Black Materia. However, on your way out of the temple to meet Cait Sith, you will encounter another boss. This one looks like a wall with a head and claws. Do not use your Summon Materia, except for Bahamut, as they will not take off much damage. Instead, use your highest level spells (Fire3 works especially well), and heal often. Deathblow and Vincent's Galian Beast are very effective as well.
After that episode, you'll have the Black Materia. However, you won't have it for long because Sephiroth will take it from you. (>_<) Then, Aeris runs off, heading through the Sleeping Forest for the City of the Ancients. (Here, I had the awful premonition that I'd never see her again...WAAAAA! ;_;) You'll wake up back at Gongaga Village (with the run-down Makoro Reactor). From here, take the Tiny Bronco to the north island, to Bone Village.
Bone Village is actually an excavation site. It is here that you'll find the Lunar Harp, which you need to cross the Sleeping Forest. However, you'll have to excavate it. Go talk to the man north of the treasure box to excavate. If you choose "treasure" as your second answer, you'll be able to find some treasure, such as a weapon, in the treasure box the next day. But, if you want the Lunar Harp, you must choose "Lunar Harp" both times. If you follow the instructions, you should be able to find it pretty easily. Those light colored X's on the ground are usually good places to dig for treasure. Once you have the Lunar Harp, go through the trees to the Sleeping Forest.
This part is pretty easy. Don't forget to wear the Water Ring that you will find here. Since many of the monsters here are water based, Fire works well against them, and wearing the Water Ring will reduce the damage they do to you. Continue through to the Forgotten Chapel.
Take the left path first. Pick up all the treasure here. After that, go to the right path and examine all the houses for treasure. When you're done, go back to the house with the beds and rest. You'll wake up when it becomes dark. Take the middle path. You'll find yourself at a clearing with a small pool and another shell house. Be sure to pick up the Comet Materia at the top of the shell house. Then, go down the blue staircase. You'll then find yourself at the Forgotten City of the Ancients. This is where Aeris is. Be sure to save at the Save Point! Then go down the stairs and brace yourself for an extremely emotional cut scene. (WAAAAAA!!!! I almost cried! T_T) You'll then have to fight another piece of Jenova. Put your Summon Materia to good use! Don't use spells after she uses her Reflect ability. Instead, use your Deathblow Materia if you have it and your bare weapons.
By the way, my finishing time for Disc 1 was about 23 hours. What's yours? (^_^)
Sephiroth will have told you to go north, past the snowy fields, where he intends on finding the Promised Land. Once you exit the City of the Ancients, you'll find yourselves in place with a giant conch shell. After this area, you'll find yourselves near a cliff face full of cracks. Climb these cracks to get all the treasure. Be sure to climb down on the brown ladder. You'll get a Magic Plus Materia. Then climb up. From there on, it's pretty easy. You'll soon find yourselves outside on a snowy plain.
This is the place you'll be after you exit the mountain. Take Sephiroth's directions and go north. You'll soon find yourself at a snowy village. This is the hometown of Aeris' mother, Ifalna. But, more about that later.... Anyway, you can get some weapons or whatever at the shop. Then, visit the house to the right of the shop. This is the old laboratory of Professor Gast. If you watch the videos on one of the machines inside, you'll find out that Gast is Aeris' father, but he was killed by Hojo when Ifalna and Aeris were taken. If you go downstairs, you can get an item beside the bed. After that, go the Icicle Inn. There are an item inside on the second floor. When you're done, go to the house to the right of the inn. You'll find some items in the room to your left and a map that you must take. (Or, if you think you have a really good memory, you can just look at it and try to memorize it! ^_~) Also, talk to the man who is way in the back of the village. He will give you instructions on how to snowboard. If you say that you're still going, some Shinra soldiers, led by the Turk Elena, will appear and try to stop you. Elena will try to hit you, but you can dodge her by pressing left or right. It won't matter if you get hit though. You'll just find yourself back in Gast's laboratory. Then, go to the house in the middle of the village. You'll find a boy who has a snowboard. Take the snowboard from his bed. You can then leave the village and begin the fun snowboarding sequence. Try to get the balloons, but don't crash into the snowmen!
After the snowboarding session, you'll find yourselves in the snowy wasteland referred to as the Northern Glacier. Here, you'll have to use your map to get around. Try to get to some landmarks, as some of them have items. Also use these landmarks to navigate your way around. You'll eventually find your way to a disorienting snowy field. Here, you'll have to drop markers to know where you are. Go north. Every time your previous marker is off screen, drop another one. Whenever the screen turns, just follow the line that goes through your markers. You'll soon find yourself at an old house. This house is the home of Mr. Holzoff, a mountain climber from the glacial village who never made it back home. Save your game at his house. Then go talk to him. He will give you clues on how to continue. After you rest, save again, then head out.
From the house, you'll have to scale some cliffs. At each ledge, raise your body temperature by tapping the square button. You must keep your body temperature up (at least over 27 degrees). You'll soon get to a small cave. Pick up some treasure here, and go up. You'll have to knock over a stone at the top level of the cave in order to get past the icicles. Once out, it's back to climbing again. Remember to keep your temperature up. There's another cave above. Get the treasure to the bottom righthand corner of the screen. Then, take the right cave. After walking up a smowy mountain path, you'll find yourself in front of some hanging icicles. Every time you approach one of these, you will have to fight. These battles are necessary. Do not hit the icicle! Kill the bats first, then use Fire spells to break the icicle. If you hit it, it will cause great damage to your party; otherwise, it will not attack. After each of these battles, you will be asked if you wish to jump down. If you do so, you'll end up back at the bottom cave, so don't jump unless you want to save. Get the treasure chests on either side of the icicles. Then, go back to the lower cavern. You find that you can now reach the treasure chest to the upper left corner. Get that, then save. After that, you can go through the middle passage, which the falling icicles have cleared for you. If you keep going, you'll find a Save Point and a glowing pool. Go to the pool first to restore HP/MP. Then save at the Save Point. If you continue, you'll meet up with another boss. This two-headed dragon is half Fire, half Ice, so figure our which half is which before fighting it with spells. (You can target the halves separately.) Heal often. After defeating the boss, you'll be able to climb up the cliff further and reach the Promised Land.
This place isn't as most people would expect. Instead of finding a lush paradise, you'll see a rocky, barren landscape. But then, that could be because this is the site of the Planet's great wound.
Whirlwind Maze. To get to Sephiroth, you'll have to get through this "maze." It's not very hard. Just keep on following the black-cloaked figures. At the points in the maze where there is a rushing wind, make sure you know the pattern of the wind and time your dash correctly. If you get knocked over, you will be forced to fight. You will eventually find Sephiroth. Actually, this isn't the real Sephiroth, but you'll find out about that later. First, you'll have to fight another piece of Jenova. This one is Fire-based, so wearing the Fire Ring will reduce the damage she does. After the battle, you'll have the Black Materia again. You can give it to any character not in your party. Save at the Save Point ahead, then move on. You'll have to time the next run past the winds very carefully. Hint: Run after the lightning bolts. You'll then go through a long cut sequence in which you find out that Cloud is not who he seems to be at first, but a Sephiroth-clone, a puppet created by Hojo out of Jenova's cells and Mako energy. Eventually, Cloud will give the Black Materia to the real Sephiroth in the cocoon. Then, Weapon will awake and chaos breaks loose. From there, you will experience more flashbacks. After the cut scene, you'll wake up as Tifa in Junon.
When Tifa awakes, Rufus will enter the room and announce his plans to have the party executed. After getting your hands tied, you'll switch off being Tifa and Barret as you walk to your execution. Tifa will be put in the gas chamber first. There will be a short sequence as Weapon attacks Junon. Have Barret try to open the door. When it doesn't unlock, go talk to Cait Sith. Then, go outside. Go to your right and leave the building. If Yuffie is in your party, you'll meet her here. Get her, then get to the airport. The airship will be waiting for you.
Meanwhile, you'll have to get Tifa out of the chair. Use her feet first to get the key over. Then, use your feet and head to get the key into your mouth. Use your left arm to get the key and get out. The button to turn off the gas is to the left of the chair. After this, there will be a cut scene where Weapon shoots a hole in the Junon cannon (where the execution room is). (Doesn't Weapon look like an Eva? (from Shin Seiki Neon Genesis Evangelion) ^_^) Have Tifa climb out of the hole and keep going down. Run to the end of the cannon. Scarlet will catch you here. Now, press O as fast as you can! That way, you can keep slapping Scarlet. Once she falls, run to the very end of the cannon, where you will be picked up by Barret and the others.
Once you're on the airship, talk to everyone, then go down to the cockpit. Talk to everyone there. You can learn how to fly the airship from the man right of the Operations room. After that, go into the Operations room and talk to the guy standing inside. You'll be able to choose your party, restore HP/MP, and save your game. Do this, then go back to the cockpit and talk to the guy standing next the Cid to fly the airship. From here, I went to Wutai.
This city is located on the western-most island, near the north tip. Put Yuffie in your party and enter the town. You'll be in for a surprise. Yuffie will steal all your Materia and run off. Leave the screen, then reenter Wutai. This time, you'll find yourself in the town. You'll see Yuffie run off. Go to the north, toward the pagoda (tower-like structure), and enter the house to the right of the pagoda. You can rest here. There are two secret passages, one in the resting room, and one in the room with many books. Go in them and get the treasure. After that, talk to the man who lives there, name Godo. Keep talking to him until Yuffie shows up. You'll find out that he is Yuffie's father. After that, she will run off again. As soon as she runs, go to the shop next to the Save Point. You will find a treasure chest there. Open it. You will get a MP Absorb Materia, but Yuffie will steal it from you again. Then, go to the house to the southeast of the town where an old man and a kid are living. She will be behind the screen to your right. Touch it to find Yuffie. She will then run off again. Leave the house and go to the urn in front of the bar. It should be moving. Have Tifa kick it. You will find Yuffie again. She will take you to her house and tell you to press a lever. It is a trap, but you can't avoid it. Yuffie runs off again. Turn off the trap and get your party. Then, head toward Yuffie's dad's house again. This time, go to the bell that's across the way from Yuffie's father's house. Ring the bell, and it should open a secret door. Go in the door. You'll find--guess who!--Don Corneo has captured Yuffie! Get the treasure, then follow Don Corneo. You'll then have to fight some Shinra people. Beat them, then leave. You'll come across Rude and Reno, who are looking for Elena, who was also captured by Corneo. They will "team up" with your party. Head for Da-Chao (the mountain to the north). Once on the mountain, take the middle path. This should take you to a cave. There will be a treasure box inside. Take the treasure, then leave the cave. Go south, where you will find Corneo. You'll have to fight an easy boss monster from Corneo. After this scene, you'll have Yuffie back. She'll give you back your Materia, and you can move on. Cloud will not be at the Northern Crater as first predicted, but south, in the Mideel Area.
Mideel is a small town where old people spend their lives. This is the town where you will find Cloud. Talk to the dog in the middle of the town, and you will overhear some people talking about him. You will then find him at the clinic. After this, Tifa will leave your party and stay with Cloud. You are now controlling Cid. If you talk to Cait Sith on the airship, he will let you eavesdrop on a Shinra meeting. You'll find out that they are gathering the Huge Materia to ram into Meteor and destroy it. You will then have to travel to Corel.
From the town, head back toward the Corel Reactor. Here, you'll have to ride a train carrying the Huge Materia. You will have to get to the head of the train in 10 minutes. There will be a few tough battles, so be prepared. Do not Cure during the fourth battle, as any Restore spell will also affect the monster. You will eventually get the Huge Materia and stop the train before it hits Corel. You will receive a prize for your heroic deed. Leave Corel and go to Fort Condor.
Go to the top of the fort and talk to the man. He will give you instructions on how to play the following strategy game. Tip: Use a mix of different people. They all have special weaknesses and strengths that can determine the end of the battle. Repairers are very helpful in healing your wounded soldiers. If the monsters get to the top, don't worry. You'll just have to fight them normally (with your party). When you have defeated the enemy, the condor's egg will hatch. Go outside , and you will see a baby condor and a Summon Materia for Phoenix. After you have picked it up, you can leave. Talk to the old man at the table before you leave. After that, return to Mideel.
In Mideel, go visit Cloud and Tifa at the Clinic. Talk to the nurse, and you will have your HP/MP restored. Then, talk to Tifa and Cloud. An earthquake will start as the Lifestream starts acting up. Weapon will attack, and you will have to fight it. Any Cure spell you cast will heal it as well, so be careful. Your party will escape, but Cloud and Tifa will fall into the Lifestream.
The Lifestream and Cloud. From here, you will have control of Tifa again. Here, you will explore Cloud's past and help him find his true self. Go north to Nibelheim first. You'll uncover some memories here. Then, go west to the well. More memories. Then, visit the last Cloud. In the end, you'll find out that actually, Cloud was never in SOLDIER. He had always wanted Tifa to pay attention to him, but she never did. He was even blamed for the accident at the bridge when both he and Tifa fell off, and Tifa was in a coma for 7 days. Cloud desperately wanted attention, so he told everyone he was joining SOLDIER, but he never made it. He was present at the Nibelheim incident, but the man with Sephiroth was Zack, Cloud's friend. Cloud was actually one of the Shinra soldiers accompanying them. However, he was the one who saved Tifa from the reactor. Cloud managed to wound, but not kill, Sephiroth, but Zack died. However, Cloud, afraid and ashamed of his weakness, made up an "illusion" of himself and soon began to believe it himself. He wasn't a Sephiroth clone after all. However, he did get the same treatment that makes members of SOLDIER.
After this, you'll have Cloud back. You'll be on Highwind again. If you want to, you can stop by at Midgar, where a man will tell you that he lost his key to Midgar at the excavation site. (Hint, hint!) Now, it's time to head for the Underwater Reactor at Junon.
Once you reach Junon, you may want to rest. If not, head directly for the Shinra Tower. You won't have to rely on the dolphin this time. Pay the guard 10 gil to get in the elevator. You'll find yourself in the Junon building.After the turn, go through the door to your left, which goes to the street where the parade was held. Keep going straight until you reach the tunnel. You meet a group of Shinra soldiers in formation, but you won't have to fight. Go to your right. You'll then be able to enter the underwater reactor through a pipe. (It's really pretty; reminds me of the big aquarium in Osaka! ^_^) Take the elevator down, and you'll be in the Junon reactor. You'll be too late to save the Huge Materia from the reactor, however, when you make it to the submarine, you'll find Reno, who sends a mechanical boss monster at you. This guy's tough; he can pick up your allies in his claws so that they can't help you. When this happens, do not attack the arms! Instead, attack the body. Remember: mechanical monsters are especially susceptible to Lightning attacks! Use this to your advantage.
Submarine Adventure. After this, you'll have to catch another submarine in order to chase the red one. Get the treasure chests before you try to board the sub. You'll have to fight a few Shinra guards before you can get on. After that, save at the Save Point and go to the bridge. You'll find some soldiers there. You can either fight them or take them prisoner. Then, you get to pilot the sub in a mini game where you have to find the red sub and sink it. Here's a tip: keep following the red submarine. If you lose it, use your radar (R1) to find it. Once you have it locked on (the box turns red), press square as fast as possible and shoot it down. Avoid torpedoes at all costs. It should be no problem if you follow those guidelines. After this, you will have acquired a new vehicle: the submarine.
Acquiring the Huge Materia. The Huge Materia will be in the sunken red submarine underwater near the coast close to Junon. You can also find other cool treasures in other sunken ships. There is a underwater version of Weapon swimming around near Junon. Don't fight it unless you're really high level or if you really want to die. Also, don't forget to pick up the Key of the Ancients, which lies in an underwater cave along the coast of the middle continent. After your exploration, go to Rocket Town (Cid's town).
Rest up at the Shanghai Inn, then go to the rocket. You'll have to fight some Shinra guards, then Rude. After that, get into the rocket, fight another Shinra guard and enter the control room of the rocket (to the north). You will go through a short cut scene in which you are blasted into outer space. From here, go to your right. Climb the ladder to the area where the Huge Materia is held. Get it by entering the passcode: O, [ ], X, X. (The [ ] is the square button.) After you get it, go to the escape pod by exiting the Control Room the way you came. You'll then find yourself back on Highwind.
After landing back on the Planet, you'll want to see Bugenhagen, Red's "grandpa," at Cosmo Canyon. Around this time is a good time to start working on your Chocobo breeding. (Please see the Chocobo Ranch for details.) Anyway, after you see him, he'll tell you to visit the Forgotten Capital of the Ancients again. Bugenhagen will accompany you on your journey. Get on Highwind and fly to the City of the Ancients.
This is where that Key of the Ancients you found underwater becomes essential. Go to the big, glowing crystal. You can get there by taking the left path. Bugenhagen will use the Key to activate a music box, which in turn activates a projector. You'll learn about the White Materia, the orb which fell out of Aeris' hair when she died. You can then leave the City of the Ancients.
Once you leave the City of the Ancients, the ground will start shaking. It's Weapon, and it's heading toward Midgar. It's up to your party to stop it. However, you won't be able to fight it while it's in the water, so fly to Midgar and wait for it to land on the shore before approaching it. Use your Summon Materia on this monster, and it should be dead in no time. (If you have Knights of Round like I did, you'll be able to leave this battle unscathed!) After you defeat Weapon, there will be a short cut sequence in which Shinra shoots through Weapon with Sister Ray, the Mako-powered cannon from Junon, and manages to weaken the force field that surrounds the Promised Land. Also, Rufus dies around here, and you find out the true identity of Cait Sith. Now, it's up to Cloud and his friends to make an end to old Hojo.
Use the airship to fly to the Sister Ray Cannon in Midgar. Follow Cait Sith, and he'll show you the way. Be sure to get all the green treasure boxes. They contain some really good stuff. Search the train tunnels thoroughly to find some good treasure. Start by going south. It takes some time to reach the end of the tunnel. Then, go north after picking up the treasure. You will meet up with the Turks. You can fight them, but you don't have to if you don't have the resources (namely, HP/MP). Stealing from the Turks during battle can get you some cool items. The battle will give you some good experience points, so if you have the HP/MP, go ahead and fight them. Otherwise, you can skip the battle. Another note: You'll know that you're not going the "right way" if you see an ally standing there. Go through the left tunnel. If you keep walking to the end, you'll eventually be stopped by Heidegger and Scarlet, who have a boss mech monster for you to fight. The Anti-Weapon mech is pretty tough, and it is made up of two parts. Use plenty of Summons on the Proud Clod (as it is called), and you should be able to defeat it. (Again, Knights of Round comes in handy!) Heal often. After that, head north. Open the two treasure boxes, then save. There are some pretty tough tank-like monsters in this region, so be prepared. Then, climb the stairs north of the two treasure boxes. These stairs will take you to Hojo. You'll find out that he is Sephiroth's father, and he wants to help out his son by sending him some Mako energy. He has also injected himself with Jenova cells. You'll have to fight him soon after. He's a tough one, and he has three forms. Hojo's first form looks like himself, and he is capable of creating two creatures to help him out, each having 9999 HP. If you use Odin on them, Odin's Steel Bladed Sword attack will quickly cut them to pieces. Concentrate on Hojo himself. Hojo's next form is his Jenova form. In this form, he is able to regenerate lost body parts, so use Summon spells on him. His third and last form is a ghoul-like being capable of great damage. Regen is very effective here for countering his Combo attack. After you kill Hojo, you will be taken to the third disc with a cut scene.
The third disc is essentially the Last Battle against Sephiroth. Since you might want to raise your levels a bit before tackling the big baddie, you may want to leave the North Cave and come back later. There are quite a few small quests you can participate in before going after Sephiroth, including destroying the Weapons still surviving, such as the one underwater. You'll want to enter the North Cave with your party as prepared as possible. I suggest concentrating on developing the three characters you are going to fight Sephiroth with. Raise their levels and increase their statistics with Sources if you haven't already.
Weapon. As mentioned before, you can seek out the various Weapons roaming the Planet and destroy them. One is hovering above a newly formed lake near Junon. This one is not as hard to destroy as the one underwater. However, it may escape, and when it does, you'll have to search it out again. Another Weapon is located underwater, also near Junon. You will be able to fight it by taking the submarine to the underwater crater nearby. Yet another version of Weapon is in Battle Square at the Gold Saucer.
Ancient Forest. Please see the Secrets section if you want to know how to find the Ancient Forest. (No, it's not the same as the Sleeping Forest you had to cross to reach the Forgotten Capital.)
Wutai. If you got the Leviathan Scales from the Junon Reactor, you will now be able to cross the fires in the caves of Da-chao, the mountain with the Buddha-like statues. Be sure to put out all the fires to get all the treasure there. You should get a weapon for Yuffie (it's a cute, but effective, paper crane!) called Oritsuru and a Steal As Well Materia (which enables you to Steal while using the Materia paired with it. Also pay another visit to the house full of cats. If you "talk" to the cat that stands in the way of the staircase, it will move out of the way, allowing you to climb the stairs. You will find a treasure chest here with a HP Absorb Materia, which allows you to regain HP when you use the Materia orb linked to it in a double slot. Then, if you haven't already, you can try to brave the Pagoda. Yuffie will have to fight alone, but it shouldn't be too hard if she's of decent level. Equip her with the Oritsuru (literally "Folded Crane") and start fighting! You can heal her between levels. There are five levels, with Yuffie's father, Lord Godo at the top. He's the toughest, but he won't be too hard to defeat if you got past the others easily. After the battle, you will receive the Leviathan Summon Materia from Godo. You'll also find out that, despite everything, Yuffie is a lot like her father!
Underwater Treasure. The sunken Shinra plane holds many valuable treasures. However, it also holds dangerous monsters, so be sure to save at the Save Point before advancing further. In the next room, you will find Reno and Rude, who you'll have to fight. After this, it would be wise to save again. Then, go to the cargo room and pick up all your treasure. Besides the treasure boxes, there is also a Hades Summon Materia, which you will find next to the pile of wrecked machinery.
Getting to the bottom of the Cave (also called the "Last Dungeon" in Japanese ^_^) is challenging. You will find lots of cool treasure, but you will also have to fight many tough monsters. Be prepared - enter with lots of Ether and Potions. It would also be useful to get your character's ultimate weapons and Level 4 Limits. (See the Secrets section.) Along the way down are lots of good treasure. Again, explore thoroughly to find all of it. Be sure to get the Save Crystal near the top. This will enable you to save just before the Final Battle. The monsters are a bit tough, but fighting them will both increase your characters' levels and allow you to reach all the treasure. Enemy Away Materia could be useful to keep down the monster encounters, though. You can win these at the Gold Saucer by racing your Chocobo(s). At some point, you'll have to split up your party to find the treasure. For a good strategy on how to get the goodies, see the Tips and Secrets section. After this, you can talk to the people you didn't travel with, and they will give you items. Then, it's Jenova time! Choose your party members and head down. You'll have to fight a few boss monsters before you reach Jenova, so you'd better be ready to Heal a lot. Jenova won't be too hard to kill if you have the Knights of Round Materia. (See Secrets for more information.) After that, you will be allowed to save before the last, decisive battle against Sephiroth.
I will have more of the Journal typed by next week! I'm practically done typing this up, finally. We will continue at: the Last Battle! Need some clarification on something? Send me an e-mail!
Entrance - Return to the main hall.
BGM: "Those Who Fight" from FFVII(music title translated directly from Japanese--what's the name in English?? ^_^;;)
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