Final Fantasy 3 Tips & Tricks

Note: When a character is mentioned of being able to use a special skill in this document, usually, Gogo can do it to (see Gogo Gadget).

• Look Ma, No Game Genie! - If you want to get your characters levels up to the 99th level near the beginning of the game, without much work, then try this classic trick (this will only level up Terra, Edgar, and Sabin). To perform this you need a controller with a rapid-fire function and a paperweight, or something else to hold the button down. Before you head into Lete River, under Config, set the Cursor option to Memory (prepare when or before you enter the Returners' hideout). When you reach the point to go Up or Left, go Up. When you get into a fight, have Terra and Sabin use the Fight command, Edgar use the Tool AutoCrossBow, and (most importantly) Banon use Health. After you win the battle turn the rapid-fire for the A button on, and put the paperweight on the A button. The party will just keep looping around and gaining more exp., with Banon constantly healing. Keep the SNES on for 1 or 2 days and the characters should be at level 99 (you can turn your TV off, and the game should keep running). Note: I have never done this trick because 1) I don't have a rapid-fire controller, and 2) I am too paranoid to keep my SNES on for that long. The only reason I know this works is because I thought it out, and it seems completely logical. If you decide to perform this trick, check on your SNES every once in a while. If it starts to do weird things, TURN IT OFF IMMEDIATELY!!
• Charm the enemies away - There is a way to get stop those annoying random enemy battles, with the Moogle Charm! Once you get the airship in the World of Ruin (WOR), go to Narshe, through the secret cave, and go to where there were lots of Moggles (you saw it in Terra, Banon, and Edgar's scenario). If you got Mog in the World of Balance (WOB), you should find him there. Talk to him to get him back in your party. Now, check the wall behind him (by pressing A) and you will find the Moogle Charm. The Moogle Charm relic can only be equipped on Mog. You shouldn't always have it equipped though, because you still need to gain exp. and magic! Here are the situations I suggest only using it in:
  1. The enemies are getting annoying.
  2. You want to backtrack and save/use tent without having to worry about becoming "annihilated."
  3. You just want to look around.
  4. There is a time limit.
• Jurrasic Park: The Lost Forest - In the WOR you can find a forest on the northern continent that has dinosaurs in it. These enemies are GREAT for gaining levels and magic points. In this Tips & Tricks, I will call it Dinosaur Forest. Wait, it gets better. One of the two dinosaurs that appears is called the Brachosaur. After you beat it, sometimes you will get an Econimizer, which makes all spells cost only 1 MP for the person who has it equipped. The dinosaurs are best beaten with Vanish-Doom (see Master Illusionist). Note: Even if you have the Back Attack relic equipped, the Tyranosaurs can (and will) Pinch Attack you.
• Master Illusionist - This is a good instant death trick. First cast Vanish on an enemy, if it works, cast Doom or X-Zone on it. This will kill the enemy. All enemies who can dissappear when Vanish is cast on them will ALWAYS die from the Doom/X-Zone spell (even bosses, except the undead)! This works well on the dinosaurs (see Jurassic Park...) and the 8 dragons. Note: Do NOT try using the Vanish/X-Zone trick on Doom Gaze! Even though you can defeat it using this method, you won't get the Bahamut magicite!
• Gogo gadget - Gogo can be the most powerful character in the game. He can mimic the last attack made by the last character, without using any MP or items. (Don't worry, that isn't the whole tip.) What you may not know is, that Mimic isn't the only command available to him. Getting the other commands is simple, go to the menu and check his Status. In the part that shows the battle commands you will see a pointer. Move the pointer down to one of the blanks and press A, the entire list of commands from all characters will now be available to you (except the ones caused by a relic and Terra's Morph). You can choose three commands (usually I choose Magic, Tools, and Throw). You can go back and change his commands later if you like. The spells that he knows is sum of all the spells the rest of your current party knows.
• The cursed paladin - The most powerful item in the game starts out as the weakest. In order to get the Cursed Shld, go to Narshe in the WOR with Locke in your party. Have him unlock the doors until you find a place with a person in bed. The building is approximately on the west/central side of town in the north; you have to go up stairs (or I suppose they are stairs) to get to the building. The man inside will give you the Cursed Shld, which seems really bad at first, because it subtracts 7 from several attributes and gives the wielder nearly every negative status effect, but you can uncurse it. To do so, you MUST have someone equip the Ribbon Relic along with the Cursed Shld, (this will make the only status effect you have be Condemned). On your 255th straight battle with those equipped, a message will come up saying something like "Dispeled the curse from the shield." If you check the person who had the Cursed Shld equipped, you will notice that it turned into the Paladin Shld. Not only does this shield seriously pump up your stats, it absorbs four elements, makes the other four elements invalid, and lets you learn UltimaX1! Extra Tip: If you have the Ragnarok magicite and the Paladin Shld equipped, you will learn UltimaX2 because you learn UltimaX1 from each!
• On Kappa-til Hill - You may have heard of a way to get an "ultra-secret" character called Kappa Imp. I have tried to get him, but I couldn't. I don't know if my game is a different version or if getting Kappa is just a rumor, but here is how you are supposed to get him.
  1. Get all the imp items, the Imp Halberd, Imp's Armor, TortiseShld, and Titanium and equip them. Here is how you get them:
     • Imp Halberd - Go to Dinosaur Forest (see Jurrasic Park...) and fight a Tyranosaur. After a battle you may get the halberd.
     • Imp's Armor - There are two ways you can get this. Go to Dinosaur Forest with Locke (without the Thief's Glove equipped) and fight a Tyranosaur, make sure there is only one. Now have your characters cast Rasp and/or Osmose on the foe until its 400 MP are gone. This will prevent it from casting Meteor (it may try, but a message will pop up saying "Need MP"). Now have Locke attempt to steal from the foe. Keep trying to steal until you get the Armor (this may take awhile). The second way is walk in the area around Dinosaur's Forest. After you win a battle, you may get the armor.
     • TortiseShld and Titanium - Both of these can be found in the Collisium. You either need two Aegis Shlds or two Imp's Armors (I suggest the armors because there are only two Aegis Shlds in the game, and they are really powerful). Bet the items and win two TortiseShlds. Now bet one of the shields to get a Titanium.
  2. Now bet an Elixir and beat a Cactrot at the Collisium to get a Rename Card. Now cast Imp on one of your characters and equip him/her with all the imp items. Now rename him/her as KAPPA. He/she is supposed to be an ultra-powerful fighter now. From my expierences though, renaming doesn't do a thing to the characters stats, and if you imped Gau, he will only be able to use items.
• Psychiatric help - Many people consider Gau a weak character, and he is, if you don't know how to use him. However, if you have learned certain Rages, he can cast ultra-powerful spells, or endanger the party. Here is how to learn Rages. Whenever you defeat most regular enemies at least once, you will find them on the Veldt (you can also find SrBehemoths and White Dragons after you defeat them). Now go to the Veldt and walk around. When you enter a battle, have Gau use Leap. Now go fight more battles on the Veldt until Gau reappears. When you get him back he will have learned the Rages of the enemies you Lept, and the enemies he appeared on. Some enemies use powerful spells like Pearl or Meteor, but others use spells that hurt Gau like Exploder and Pep-Up, and even unfocused attacks. It is best if you find a Rage list so you know beforehand what a certain enemy will do (there are a few at RPGamer). Note: Gau can even float after using a Rage. If the enemy is flying, then he will float until 1)You sleep at an inn (or restore status in some other way) or 2)You use a non-flying enemy Rage. Also, during Gau's Rages, he can only attack and use one special attack or spell (IOW, he can't cast Fire and Fire 2 during a Rage, even if the enemy can).
• The student surpasses the teacher - Strago learns Lores when a character, enemy, or foe uses a Lore, and he is in the battle. How can another character use Lores though? Isn't Strago the only one that can? No, Gau can. For some enemies, Gau's special skill (see Psychiatric help) for some Rages are Lores. You can tell if they are Lores by how it is cast. Have Strago use a Lore and notice the way it is cast, with the blue lights that come from him. If for Gau, you see that same blueness as a special for a Rage, then Strago can learn it from him. Note: Gogo cannot learn Lores, even if he has the Lore command on. He can, however, take the place of Gau in this process.
• Chasing your Shadow - Shadow, one of the only major characters that you may not know the story of. There is a way to take a look at his past though. In either the WOB or WOR bring him to an inn (or another place where you can sleep) and go to sleep. There is about a 1 in 4 chance that you will see a dream. These dreams show Shadow's past, as a train robber named Clyde. There are four dreams in all that you can see at an inn. You can see a fifth one in the WOR when you rescue him from the cave on the Veldt (whether or not you saw the previous four).

The final battle consists of four separate battles. Before the battle you can register the order of the characters that fight. I have no suggestions for characters besides putting Gogo in within the first four. To prepare for this battle equip as many Gold Hairpins and Econimizers as you can. Relics that protect against Dark and Mute help also. You should always have one or two designated healers.

The first three battles should be fairly easy. During the third battle defeat the enemy that is casting Pearl Wind (the back one) first of all. Go all out against Kefka. Cast Quick spells so you can make decisions less hastily. Here's what I suggest you do (Ultima spells usually take precedence over all suggestions).

• Terra - Morph and Cure spells
• Edgar - AutoCrossBow or Drill (use Chainsaw at your own risk since it may try to do a mortal attack, in which case it will fail.)
• Cyan - Swrdtech 1
• Celes - Cure spells
• Strago - GrandTrain
• Shadow - Throw ANY weapons you don't have equipped since this is the final battle, and you won't need them anymore.
• Mog - Anything but Dance, you will want as many turns as possible that you have control over.
• Gau - Use magic. Don't Rage, you will want as many turns as possible that you have control over.
• Gogo - Use both attack and curative magic. Tools and Throw options activated help a lot also.
• Locke - Attack and/or use magic. Steal/Capture a Megalixer from the final Kefka.
• Relm - Use Cure spells. Neither Sketch or Capture will work, and Fight probably won't do a lot of damage.
• Sabin - If you are good at using powerful Blitzes, use them. Otherwise, Fight or use magic.
• Setzer - Slot effects are best. If you are not doing that, you should probably use magic.
• Umaro - No suggestions, since he attacks by himself. I don't really suggest using him.