Final Fantasy 3 has to be my favorite game of any system to date. When I beat Kefka and finished the game for the first time (around 1:30 AM some early Sunday morning long past) I remember feeling like I had just lost my best friends.
Final Fantasy 3 was released shortly after I let my subscription to Nintendo Power lapse. I did not yet have a computer with Internet access so I had no idea what I was in for when I picked up my copy of FF3 at a yard sale (with no instructions of course). At that point I had never even heard of, much less played, FF2! You can imagine my pleasant surprise when I plugged in that game cartridge and started playing for the first time.
Magacite has two purposes. During battle if you have a particular Esper equipped you may use it in it's purest form once during battle. Second, whether you use it or not, every time you defeat an enemy you will earn Magic Points which will bring you closer to learning the different spells that are part of each Esper.
Alexander: Attack= Wave of pure energy - When equipped you learn: Pearl, Shell, Safe, Dispel, Remedy
Bahamut: Attack=Cuts through magic defenses - When equipped you learn Flare
Bismark: Attack=Water elemental attack - When equipped you learn Fire, Ice, Bolt, Life
Carbunkl: Attack=Casts Reflect on party - When equipped you learn Reflect, Haste, Shell, Safe
Crusader: Attack=Unfocused element attack that hurts both enemy and ally - When equipped you learn Merton, Meteor
Fenrir: Attack=Casts shadow images of the party that make the party hard to hit - When equipped you learn Warp, X-Zone, Stop
Golem: Attack=Casts barrier to protect party - When equipped you learn Safe, Stop, Cure2
Ifrit: Attack=Fire elemental attack - When equipped you learn Fire, Fire2, Drain
Kirin: Attack=Recovers HP - When equipped you learn Cure, Cure2, Regen, Antidote, Scan
Maduin: Attack=Non-Elemental attack - When equipped you learn Fire2, Bolt2, Ice2
Odin: Attack=Slices through enemies - When equipped you learn Meteor (This piece of magicite changes to Raiden when you are in the underground palace)
Palidor: Attack=Party preforms Jump Attack - When equipped you learn Haste, Haste2, Slow, Slow2, Float
Phantom: Attack=Casts Vanish on party - When equipped you learn Beserk, Vanish, Demi
Phoenix: Attack= Recovers battle status - When equipped you learn Life, Life2, Life3, Cure3, Fire3
Ragnarok: Attack = Turns enemy into an Item - When equipped you learn Ultima (WooHoo!)(This piece pf Magicite can be turned into a powerful sword if you talk to the weapons shop owner in Narshe)
Raiden: Attack=Slices through enemies - When equipped you learn Quick (Raiden is the advanced version of the Magacite shard Odin)
Ramuh: Attack = Lightening Elemental attack - When equipped you learn Bolt, Bolt2, Poison
Shiva: Attack = Ice elemental attack - When equipped you learn Ice, Ice2, Rasp, Osmose, Cure
Shoat: Attack = Petrifies enemies - When equipped you learn Bio, Break, Doom
Siren: Attack = Silences Enemies - When equipped you learn Sleep, Mute, Slow, Fire
Sraphim: Attack = Recovers HP - When equipped you learn Life, Cure, Cure2, Regen, Remedy
Starlet: Attack = Recovers HP - When equipped you learn Cure, Cure2, Cure3, Regen, Remedy
Stray: Attack = Cofuses Enemies - When equipped you learn Muddle, Imp, Float
Terrato: Attack=Earth Elemental attack - When equipped you learn Quake, Quarter, W Wind
Tritoch: Attack-3 way Element attack - When equipped you learn Fire3, Ice3, Bolt3
Unicorn: Attack=Casts Remedy on party - When equipped you learn Cure2, Remedy, Dispell, Safe, Shell
Zoneseek: Attack=Casts Shell on party - When equipped you learn Rasp, Osmose, Shell
Battle Spells:
Bio: Poisons target
Bolt: Lightning attack
Bolt2: Strong lightning attack
Bolt3: Strongest Lightning attack
Break: Petrifies target
Bserk: Makes target unpredictable
Demi: Cuts targets HP by half
Dispel: Weakens enemy
Doom: Mortal attack.
Drain: Restores spellcasters HP at targets expense
Fire: Fire attack
Fire2: Strong fire attack
Fire3: Strongest fire attack
Flare: Strong barrier breaking attack
Ice: Ice attack
Ice2: Strong ice attack
Ice3: Strongest ice attack
Merton: Strong attack that effects all in area - enemy and ally
Meteor: Strong multiple enemy attack
Muddle: Confuses target
Mute: Renders target unable to cast spells
Osmose: Restores spellcasters MP at targets expense
Pearl: Strong magic attack
Poison: Poisons target
Quake: Earthquake damages all in area - enemy and alliy
Quartr: Cuts targets HP by 3/4's
Rasp: Damages MP
Sleep: Lulls target to sleep
Slow: Slows targets response speed
Slow2: Slows multiple targets response speed
Stop: Stops target for a while
Ultima: Damages multiple enemies - very strong!
W Wind: Strong whirlwind damages all in area - enemy and ally
Xzone: Dispatches target
Healing Spells
Antdote: Cures "Poison"
Cure: Recovers small amount of HP
Cure2: Recovers moderate amount of HP
Cure3: Recovers large amount of HP
Life: Restores wounded member of party and recovers minimum amount of HP
Life2: Restores wounded member of party and recovers full HP and MP.
Life3: If cast on member before being wounded he will automaticaly be restored if HP reaches 0 during battle.
Regen: Recovers HP a little at a time continually during battle.
Remedy: Cures all status ailments except "zombie".
Safe: Raises defense slightly
Scan: Displays an enemies status
Shell: Raises magic defense slightly
Vanish: Makes member invisible (until another spell nullifies the effect)
Warp: Allows party to escape Battle or leave the area.
Float: Causes target to float inches above the ground - effective against Quake attacks
Haste: Raises battle speed
Haste2: Raises battle speed of entire party
Imp2: Changes target into "Imp" - unable to use magic in this state
Quick: enables target to use dual commands for each turn in battle
Rflect: Magic will bounce off target and hit a target in the other party
Mog the Moogle...Umaro's boss...Rescuer of Terra at the beginning of the game...a Moogle of few words with a heart as big as a sasquatch and the courage of a whole legion of dragons....add this little guys mystical dances to your party and you will go far.
Desert Aria
Sand Storm - Wind attack
Antlion - Opens hole under enemy
WindSlash - Wind attack
Kitty - Casts Haste on party
Dusk Requium
Cave In - Drops Boulders on enemy
Elf Fire - Fire attack
Snare - Opens hole under enemy
Poison Frog - poison attack
Earth Blues
Landslide - Rocks fall on enemy
Sun Bath - Heals party
Sonic Boom - Wind attack
Whump - Animal atack on enemy
Forest Suite
Wild Bear - Recovers party status
Elf Fire - Fire attack
Rage - Attacks enemy
Wombat - Damages a single enemy
Love Sonata
Specter - Ghostly Fire attack
Elf Fire - Fire attack on enemy
Snare - Opens hole under Enemy
Tapir - Recovers party status
Snowman Jazz
Ice Rabbit - Heals character
Snare - Opens hole under enemy
Snowball - Pummels enemy with snowballs
Surge - Wave of snow attacks enemy
Water Rondo
El Nino - water elemental attack
Specter - Confuses enemy
Plasma - Lightening elemental attack
Wild Bear - Recovers party status
Wind Song
Plasma - Lightening Elemental attack
Sun Bath - Heals party
Wind Slash - Wind Attack
Cokatrice - Turns enemy to stone
Gedars...I mean, Edgars Tools:
Edgars Tools can be a big help during battle in that some of them can do damage to multiple enemies at once.
AirAnchor: Enemy becomes self destructive. You can find this Item in the secret room at the Cult of Kefka's Tower or win it during battle at the colosseum.
AutoCrossbow: Multiple arrow attack. Edgar brings this to the party when he joins.
BioBlaster: Multiple gas attack. Shopkeeper in Figaro castle stocks this item.
Chainsaw: Single chainsaw attack. Secret room in Zozo clock building.
Debillitator: Single "weak point" attack. Shopkeeper in Figaro castle stocks this item - but not right away.
Drill: Single Drill attack. Shopkeeper in Figaro castle stocks this item - but not right away.
Flash: Multiple Blind attack. Shopkeeper in Figaro castle - but not right away.
NoiseBlaster: Confuses multiple enemies. Shopkeeper in figaro castle stocks this item.
Note: Some of these items are available in other shops from time to time, but you can always count on the shopkeeper in Figaro castle for a fair deal.
Sabin's Blitzes:
Sabins Blitzes are always an added bonus to the party. As his levels build he learns newer and stronger Blitzes and often one attack from Sabin is enough to get the party out of trouble.
Air Blade: Sabin attacks multiple enemies with slices of wind. - Rotate the control pad 3/4's starting Top Right to Left
Aura Bolt: A white hot ray of pure energy. Especially effective on the undead. -Rotate the control pad 1/4 from Bottom to Left
Bum Rush: Sabin spins around an enemy attacking from all sides at once. -Full turn on the control pad Top Right to Top Left
Fire Dance: Sabin attacks multiple enemies with a mantra of fire balls. - Rotate the contol pad 1/2 way around starting at Left and finishing at Right
Mantra: Refreshes party. -R, L, R, L, X, Y
Pummel: Sabin pounds an enemy -Press on the directional pad Left, Right, Left
Spiraler: Recovers party at Sabins expense -R,L,X,Y then Right, Left on the control pad
Suplex: Sabin lifts an enemy into the air then pounds him to the ground -X,Y then Down, Up on the control pad
Cyan's Swordtech - his Dispatch and QuadraSlam in particular - are great to have along when fighting a particularly difficult enemy.
1) Dispatch - Single attack - Strikes a heavy blow to an enemy
2) Retort - Single attack - Automaticaly counter attacks the next enemy to attack him.
3) Slash - Single attack - Cuts an enemy's HP by half
4) QuadraSlam - Multiple attack - Strikes 4 heavy blows to one or more of the enemy
5) Empowerer - Single attack - Steals the enemy's HP/MP
6) Stunner - Multiple attack - Casts stop on multiple targets
7) QuadraSlice - Multiple attack - An even more powerful version of the QuadraSlam
8) Cleave - Single attack - Powerful attack strikes a heavy blow
At the Colosseum you can bet an Item and battle an opponent in hope of getting a better Item if you win the battle. However, if you lose the battle you also lose the Item you put up. Not to worry, just save before you enter and reset if you lose! In most cases no matter what you bet you will have to fight Chupon and there isn't much chance of beating him. There are exceptions to every rule however and here is a complete list of them.
Here is what you get and who you will fight - depending on what you bet:
You bet: Aegis Sheild You Fight: Borras You get: Tortoise Shield
You bet: Behemoth Suit You Fight: Outsider You get: Snow Muffler (Armor)
You bet: Blizzard You Fight: Scullion You get: Ogre Nix (Sword)
You bet: Cat Hood You Fight: Hoover You get: Merit Award (Relic)
You bet: Cursed Ring You Fight: Steroidite You get: Air Anchor (Tool)
You bet: Cursed Shield You Fight: Didalos You get: Cursed Ring (Relic)
You bet: Doom Darts You Fight: Opinicus You get: Bone Club (Item-Umaro only)
You bet: Elixer You Fight: Cactrot You get: Rename Card (Item)
You bet: Flame Saber You Fight: Evil Oscar You get: Ogre Nix (Sword)
You bet: Force Shield You Fight: Dark Force You get: Thornlet (Helmet)
You bet: Gem Box You Fight: Sr. Behemoth You get: Economizer (Relic)
You bet: Genji Armor You Fight: BorrasYou get: Air Anchor (Tool)
You bet: Hero Ring You Fight: RhyosYou get: Pod Bracelet (Relic)
You bet: Imp's Armor You Fight: Rhyos You get: Tortoise Shield
You bet: Imp Halberd You Fight: Allosaurus You get: Cat Hood (Relic))
You bet: Merit Award You Fight: Covert You get: Rename Card (Item)
You bet: Moogle Charm You Fight: Outsider You get: Charm Bangle (Relic)
You bet: Ragnarok Sword You Fight: Didalos You get: Ilumina (Sword)
You bet: Relic Ring You Fight: Sky Base You get: Charm Bangle (Relic)
You bet: Rename Card You Fight: Doom Dragon You get: Marvel Shoes (Relic)
You bet: Scimitar You Fight: Covert You get: Ogre Nix (Sword)
You bet: Sniper You Fight: Covert You get: Bone Club (Item-Umaro only)
You bet: Snow Muffler You Fight: Retainer You get: Charm Bangle (Relic)
You bet: Tack Stars You Fight: Opinicus You get: Rising Sun (Special)
You bet: Thornlet You Fight: Opinicus You get: Mirage Vest (Armor)
You bet: Thunder Blade You Fight: Steroidite You get: Ogre Nix (Sword)
You bet: Tintinabar You Fight: Dark Force You get: Experience Egg
You bet: Titanium You Fight: Brachosaur You get: Cat Hood (Relic)
You bet: Tortoise Shield You Fight: Sterodite You get: Titanium (Imp's Weapon)
When the party takes Terra to meet Banon and the Returners, Terra is faced with a difficult decision. Should she join the Returners and use her powers to help defeat the Empire? If you tell Banon "Yes" right away you will receive a Gauntlet Relic and a meeting will take place. Tell him "No" 3 times in a row and you will skip the meeting and receive the Genji Glove Relic from one of the Returners instead.
After Banon joins your group you will begin a journey on the Lete River. There you will meet and battle Ultros for the first time. After you defeat Ultros, Sabin jumps in after him and is swept away from the party. Mog appears and you are asked to choose a scenario. The order in which you choose your scenarios can make a big difference in how long Shadow will stay with Sabin and Cyan. In fact, he will stay until just before you hit the Veldt if you choose correctly. This is the order you should choose: 1) Terra, Edgar, Bannon; 2) Sabin; 3) Locke.
While you are Locke in the third scenario you will find yourself in the basement of the "Richest man in town". When you first arrive in the basement walk straight into the wall instead of down the hall. While you are in the wall move Locke to the right and you will find yourself moving down some stairs to a sub-basement. There are 3 treasures in this dungeon; Ether, X-Potion and the Ribbon Relic.
When you find yourself in Zozo for the first time you will hear many references to what time it is. Make your way to the rear of the town to the building with the clock inside. When you approach the clock you will be prompted to set the time. The correct time is: 6:10:50. You will be rewarded with access to a secret area where you will find a chest with the Chainsaw Tool inside.
When you find yourself at the Opera house Celes must pose as Maria and perform. Here are the correct responses when you are prompted for her lines: (Oh my hero)(I'm the darkness)(Must I).
At some point in the game someone in Albrook will inform you that someone in Tzen is selling glowing stones. If you visit Tzen, sure enough some guy in the woods in the North-East part of town wants to sell you the Magacite, Sraphim, for 3000 GP. You have two choices; buy it right there and then for 3000GP and get a jump on learning it's spells - or wait until later in the game, when the world has been altered by Kefka, and pick it up from the same guy for 10 GP. (Guess the end of the world brings out the best in some people).
Once you have free access to the Airship make a point of visiting the sick soldier in Mobliz. If you mail enough Items to Lola in Miranda for him he will reward you with the Tintinabar Relic. (Speed things along by leaving, then returning and napping at the Inn or in the back room at the Relics shop between visits).
When Mog joins your party you can quickly add the Water Rondo to his Dance line-up by trying this little trick: Leave your airship at the entrance to Narshe: Make sure Mog is in your party: Save: Make your way by foot to the Returners Hideout (Take the cave to the South to South Figaro, make your way over Mt Kolts, then North to the Hideout) then take a boat ride on the Lete river back to Narshe! On the way Mog will have learned the Water Rondo.
At the Imperial Palace you are asked to speak to as many soldiers as possible in 4 minutes. Be sure to speak to all of them (24 in all). Sometimes you will have to fight - it counts - so do it quickly. If you manage to speak to all of the soldiers in 4 minutes and then answer all of Gestahls questions honestly and fairly at dinner, you will be well rewarded upon leaving the Palace. It varys, but the best possible outcome of your meeting will be these rewards: Withdrawal of the troops from South Figaro and Doma; Free access to the room with the chests in the Base near the Esper Gate (be sure to check the stove in that room, too); The Relics Tintinabar and Charm Bangle.
Once on the Floating Continent you will meet up with Shadow yet again (make sure you brought some good equipment for him) - and if your not careful here you will lose him for the rest of the game. When the Continent starts breaking apart and you see the Airship below you will be prompted to "Jump" or "wait for Shadow!" Of course you will wait...but when you see the clock ticking down and no Shadow appears you will be tempted to jump without him. Don't. When the clock winds down to 5 seconds he will appear and the game will progress on it's own.
After the world has been altered you will find yourself searching for your friends and for an airship. This will bring you to Daryls tomb. The place that made the words "THE WORLD IS SQUARE" famous. You will have to find the room with 4 tombstones and read all 4 inscriptions. After you have done that head up to the room to the left of the entrance and approach the tombstone. You will be prompted to enter an inscription. Enter the letters in this order ERAU QSSI DLRO WEHT. You will get a clue to find the Exp. Egg Relic. Exit the room and head for the door on the lower left. Descend the stairs and explore the dark spaces in the walls until you find the passage that leads to the room with the chest that contains the Exp.Egg Relic.
To get to Mount Zozo talk to the merchant at the North end of Zozo. He will sell you some Rust-Aid which you can use to open the rusted shut door in the building at the South end of Zozo. Here you will find Mount Zozo and at the top of it, Cyan.
If your not careful you could miss finding a new member for your party. Take the airship to the little triangular island where the Hoover lives. Let him suck your party up one by one. You will find yourself in a new cavern to explore(don't worry, you can leave anytime if you stand in the shaft of light where you entered). Gogo can be found at the end of the cavern. Name her (him?) and she will join your party.
Be sure to get the Air Anchor Tool from the Cult of Kefka Tower. Stand to the right of the chest in the first room and press A. You will hear a sound in the distance. Exit the room and head back down the stairs. A new door will have appeared. Enter and grab the Air Anchor from the chest.
While traveling in Figaro Castle you will hit something underground. If you choose to explore you will find yourself in a ruined castle. To trigger the secret room here take 5 steps from the right hand throne. Press A. You will hear a distant sound. In the room on the right a set of stairs will have appeared. You will have to fight the Blue Dragon here. After you have defeated him you will find the Queen, who has been turned to stone. A tear from her eye will transform your Odin Esper into Raiden. (if the secret stairs don't appear right away try returning to Figaro Castle and speaking to the people in the library. One of them should mention the "Queen rising and taking 5 steps". After that return to the underground castle and try again.)
The Eight Dragons Locations:
1) The Opera House
2) Mount Zozo
3) The Star Shaped Mountain
4) The Underground Castle
5) The Narshe Battle field
6) Cutl of Kefka Tower
7) & 8) Kefka's Tower
Here are some more FF3 tips sent to me by PlumedShoe@hotmail.com:
1) Throw Atma Weapon at Kefka for instant destruction.
2)Give Umaro green cherry to make him super strong
3)There is a hidden white cape in the returners hidout. Its in The wall in the top left of the treasure room.
4)Steal atma weapon, Illumina, and cursed ring from the statues.
5)Steal offering from Harpy
6)Name Cyan "Leo" and he'll get better sword techs.
Thanks Chris!
I found the music and graphics of this game a true delight. I enjoyed the freedom of movement the characters were allowed early on in the game along with being able to "save" easily and often. I could even chose which character represented the party as I moved about in the game. I would have been completely satisfied if, as I had thought, the game had been over when General Leo accompanied the party to Thamasa. Imagine my surprise when I realized this was barely the beginning.
Each character has a destinct personality as well as their own reason for wanting to destroy the Empire. None of them sets out to be a hero. In fact, in the beginning, few of the characters even like each other.
As I sat there that early Sunday morning watching the ending of the adventure (once again marveling at the amount of thought and detail that went into the making of this game), I did indeed feel a certain sadness that the adventure was, for now, over. But, I take solace in the knowledge that at any time I can plug my copy of FF3 in and visit some old friends. At least then, for a time, the world will be square.
Much of the material on this page is referenced from Final Fantasy III Players Guide by Peter Olafson. Peter Olafson has written for Gamepro, Electronic Entertainment, Amiga World, PC Games, Compute, and Computer Gaming world.
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