| ======================================================================== VI. S e e D R A N K I N G ======================================================================== In ff 8, your party receives payment from SeeD on a timely basis. This sum is determined by your SeeD ranking, which is assigned to you right after the events at Dollet in Disc One. Also, the SeeD Tests become available in the Tutorial on the menu screen. The actual number of papers Squall can sit for depends on his level, i.e. a lv. 15 Squall has access to only 15 out of the 30 tests. Below are the answers: (Yes=Y / No=N) Test 1 : Y N Y Y Y N N Y N N Rank 1 : 500 Gil Test 2 : Y N Y Y Y N Y Y N N Rank 2 : 1,000 Gil Test 3 : N N Y N Y Y Y N Y N Rank 3 : 1,500 Gil Test 4 : N Y Y Y N N Y Y N N Rank 4 : 2,000 Gil Test 5 : N N N Y Y N N Y Y Y Rank 5 : 3,000 Gil Test 6 : Y N Y Y N N Y Y N Y Rank 6 : 4,000 Gil Test 7 : Y Y Y Y Y Y N Y Y N Rank 7 : 5,000 Gil Test 8 : N Y N N Y Y N N Y N Rank 8 : 6,000 Gil Test 9 : N Y N N N N N N Y Y Rank 9 : 7,000 Gil Test 10: Y N N N N N N N Y N Rank 10: 8,000 Gil Test 11: Y Y N Y Y N Y N N Y Rank 11: 9,000 Gil Test 12: N Y N N Y N Y N Y N Rank 12: 10,000 Gil Test 13: Y N N N Y N N N N N Rank 13: 11,000 Gil Test 14: Y Y Y Y N Y Y N Y N Rank 14: 12,000 Gil Test 15: Y Y N N N N N Y N Y Rank 15: 12,500 Gil Test 16: Y N N Y N Y N N Y N Rank 16: 13,000 Gil Test 17: Y N N N Y N N Y N N Rank 17: 13,500 Gil Test 18: Y N N N Y N N N N N Rank 18: 14,000 Gil Test 19: Y N N Y N N N N N Y Rank 19: 14,500 Gil Test 20: Y Y N Y N Y Y Y N N Rank 20: 15,000 Gil Test 21: Y Y Y Y N N Y Y Y N Rank 21: 15,500 Gil Test 22: N N N Y N N N Y Y N Rank 22: 16,000 Gil Test 23: Y N N N N Y Y Y Y Y Rank 23: 16,500 Gil Test 24: Y Y N N Y Y N N N Y Rank 24: 17,000 Gil Test 25: Y N Y Y Y N N Y N N Rank 25: 17,500 Gil Test 26: Y Y N Y N Y N Y N N Rank 26: 18,000 Gil Test 27: N Y N N N N Y N Y N Rank 27: 18,500 Gil Test 28: Y N N Y Y Y N Y N N Rank 28: 19,000 Gil Test 29: N N N Y Y N N N Y N Rank 29: 19,500 Gil Test 30: N Y N N N N Y N N N Rank 30: 20,000 Gil Rank A : 30,000 Gil If Squall scores a perfect 100 marks in a test paper, his SeeD ranking is raised by one. The highest rank Squall can attain is A (otherwise known as rank 31), which pays 30,000 Gil. Each payment occurs after Squall takes about 24,300 steps or so. Increasing your rank can also involve other methods, such as success at certain game events, or living dangerously in battle. By that I mean combating enemies with your characters at critical status (you could always blow your opponents away with Limit Breaks). To make your rank stay constant, just fight battles normally, using physical, magical or G.F. attacks. Decreasing your rank is done by escaping from battles too often and not engaging enemies in combat frequently enough. Meaning, you shouldn't rely on vehicles or chocobos too often to get around. ======================================================================== VII. F U L L W A L K T H R O U G H ======================================================================== [Gameplay Tips] Before you delve into the walkthrough below, why not stop to pick up a few tips on ff 8? I'm sure the hints below will prove helpful, especially if this is your first time through the game. {Leveling Up} Seeing how the leveling up system has been all but replaced by the Junction System (which is why you need only 1,000 EXP to gain a level in ff 8), there's really no need for you to specifically go level up your characters. Just fight whatever battles that may come your way, making sure you stop to draw a few spells for junctioning later. This brings me to my next point, which is... {Stocking Spells} You don't really need to have every single spell in your magic list. Try sticking to the more common (and useful) spells such as Cure, and ignore the lame ones such as Drain. Each character can only carry 32 out of the 50 spells ff 8 has to offer. Also, whenever possible, I suggest making use of menu abilities to refine items to spells instead; it's much more convenient that way. Another question would be: should all members in your party carry a full set of spells? Well, you can pretty much get through the game with just 3 full lists of spells, but I prefer to keep 4 sets. It's really up to you to decide. I advise against 6, though. It's way too tedious to maintain and upgrade them. {Enemies} Enemies in ff 8 gain levels in tandem with your party. In the process, they also receive new magic lists (for drawing from), hold and drop different items. In addition, they may sometimes gain new attacks. {An Easier Time} FF VIII can only get difficult if you do not attempt to master the Junction System. If you can't seem to defeat a particular boss, or rely too heavily on G.Fs (especially at the game's later stages), then it's time to learn a few Junction abilities, and draw powerful spells. The Junction System helps a LOT more towards building a powerful party member compared to plain old leveling up. {Spending your Gil} Since both the armour and accessories systems have been removed, the only stuff you'll spend money on are items and weapon remodeling. Do feel free to blow your cash on items. Still, I'll like to caution that in the early stages of the game, the party gets around on a train a lot, so make sure you always have enough money left to afford a 3,000 Gil ticket. [How to use this guide] You will be presented with choices at certain points in the game; I've taken the liberty of indicating the best option with an asterisk (*). Also, the 'Side Events' portions that occasionally pop up really are optional, meaning you don't have to do them to advance the storyline; they're usually an opportunity for you to obtain a special artefact or two, plus to give guidelines on weapon upgrading. Happy travels! ++++++++++ 1. S e e D ++++++++++ =================== Sections appearing: =================== 1a. Balamb Garden 1b. Balamb Region 1c. Fire Cavern 1d. Dollet Mission Briefing 1e. Naval Ship 1f. Dollet 1g. Exploring Balamb City 1h. Inauguration Ceremony 1i. Training Center 1j. Timber Mission Briefing 1k. Laguna Dream Sequence Part One: Eastern Forest/Deling City 1l. Timber Tracks: Hijack Operation 1m. Timber 1n. Dollet/Timber Revisited (optional) 1o. Timber Region (optional) 1p. Laguna Dream Sequence Part Two: Centra Excavation Site ###################################################################### 1a. [Balamb Garden] Enemies: Grat, T-Rexaur (Training Center) Draw Points: Cure, Esuna, Blizzard G.Fs: Quezacotl, Shiva (2F Study Panel) Magazines: Occult Fans Vol. I (Library) ###################################################################### Final Fantasy VIII opens with a nice FMV of Squall and Seifer squaring off against each other in a training match. However, Squall is scarred in this battle, having taken a direct hit in his face. Squall awakens from his coma in the infirmary, where the medic there, Dr. Kadowaki, asks Squall if he feels all right: - (Ok, I guess.) * - (My forehead hurts.) Give Squall a name; I'll stick with the default name throughout this walkthrough for convenience's sake. Dr. Kadowaki then leaves to inform Quistis of Squall's recovery. After a FMV showing her arrival, both student and mentor will walk to the classroom, with the latter commenting that the entrance examination for SeeD is today. After class is over, Quistis reminds Squall that he has yet to visit the Fire Cavern. Before going off, you might want to check out the Study Panel at Squall's seat. There you'll find the following options: 1. Tutorial (New!) 2. The Basics 3. About Garden 4. A message from Garden 5. Garden Square 6. The School Festival Committee (not available yet) You'd best be advised to read through all of them. In addition, Squall will receive 2 G.Fs, Shiva and Quezacotl, upon selecting the Tutorial. G.F. Quezacotl offers 2 unique abilities: the 'Card' command ability and 'Card Mod.' menu ability. Make sure you learn them. A few notes about the 'Card' command: it has a much higher chance of working on a weakened enemy, and sometimes carding a normal enemy earns you a more powerful boss card instead. Quezacotl also has 'Mid. Magic Refinement' menu ability, which enables you to gain access to the middle range spells such as Cura and Blizzara (i.e. refine 5 Cure spells to obtain a single Cura) relatively early on in the game. If you can afford to live with a weak G.F Quezacotl for a while, I suggest you learn 'Boost' 1st, followed by 'Card', and then 'Card Mod.' These abilities will come in VERY handy in the game if you're looking to collect everything of value. Shiva has the unique 'Doom' command ability, which takes 60 AP to learn. Seeing how 'Death' works on so many common enemies in ff 8, it might just come in handy sometimes. Once done, leave the classroom. Along the way, Squall'll bump into Selphie, the newly transferred student from Trabia Garden: - Are you okay? * - ...... Squall confirms that she just missed her class, upon which Selphie asks Squall for a little tour around Balamb Garden: - Sure. * - Don't have the time. Head on over to the elevator, but before you do that, talk to the guy hanging around the lift; he'll grant Squall his first set of cards, and tell him to use 'Square' to initiate 'Card Battle'. Bring Selphie to the Garden Directory, which is the huge board right to the south of the 1st floor. Here's a rough lay-out of Balamb Garden's 1st floor: Students' Dormitory Cafeteria | Parking Lots \ | / /---------------------------\ Quad | | Training Center \--| |--/ | Elevators | /--| | |--\ Infirmary | | | Library \-------------+-------------/ | | Front Gates Feel free to explore the place: you can rest and save at the Dorms, meet Seifer and company (Raijin, Fujin) at the Cafeteria, and watch Zell miss the hot dogs ^_^ Also, try chatting with the Cafeteria Lady for a bit of info about her son. Dr. Kadowaki will play cards with you, and the Library offers an 'Esuna' draw point, plus the 1st volume of Occult Fans. Search the 2nd bookshelf from left in the background (don't change the camera view); sometimes a student may be blocking the way, so try re-entering the Library. Avoid the Training Center for now. To the Front Gates once you're done. Quistis joins you here; she starts off at lv. 8 with zero spells in her magic list; expect the latter to be a constant feature in all new allies. ####################################################################### 1b. [Balamb Region] (note: Junction G.Fs, and NEVER escape from battles for now) Enemies: Bite Bugs Glacial Eye (Fields/Mountains) Caterchipillar, T-Rexaur (Forests) Fastitcalon-F (Beaches) ####################################################################### Quistis will bring Squall to the Fire Cavern, which is east of Garden behind the forest. Press 'Triangle' to skip through her tutorials if you so wish (for the U.S version). I recommend you view them, though. Make sure you have a decent stock of 'Blizzard' spells before you enter; these can be drawn from the Glacial Eyes (blue flying jellyfish -like creatures) near the northern cliffs on the Overworld or the Fastitocalons-F (orange fishes) on the shores of Balamb. Btw, a single Fastitocalon-F gives you 3 A.P; they're excellent enemies to battle if you want to build up your G.Fs' abilities at this point in the game. Fastitocalons appear on most beaches in the Overworld. Tip: Actually, whenever you reach a new region, I suggest you check out the enemies there. They may have some nifty spells for junctioning, upon which you should spend some time drawing. You'll be surprised at how much some of the more powerful spells can boost your stats. ####################################################################### 1c. [Fire Cavern] (note: Keep Squall's level within 9 for this dungeon) Enemies: Bomb, Red Bat, Buel Draw Points: Fire G.Fs: Ifrit Rare Cards: Ifrit ####################################################################### The Garden Faculty awaiting at the cave entrance questions Squall if he's prepared: - Yes... - Still need to prepare. I'll leave this up to you. Squall is asked how long he would take to defeat the boss within and come back out (10, 20, 30 or 40 minutes). Take 30 minutes if you're playing the Japanese version, and 10 minutes for the U.S version. The Fire Cavern isn't particularly hard, but since random enemy encounters count towards the timer, you'd better finish them quickly, and keep heading straight into the inner regions of the cave (you can always re-visit the place to earn EXP, draw spells and gain Cards later, without the darned timer). There'll only be 2 times when the route splits; take the 1st one right for a 'Fire' Draw Point, and right again the 2nd time. You'll meet Ifrit at the end. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS G.F: Ifrit HP: 1,068 Weak: Ice Strong vs.: Fire Draw List: Fire(Fira), Cure, Scan AP: 20 Being a fire-based creature, you'll naturally want to avoid using any fire spells on him. Simply cast Shiva and Blizzard spells repeatedly to make short work of him. He has a decent attack rating too, so don't forget to heal your characters when needed. You wouldn't know now, but you're actually being accessed by the Garden throughout the first few events in ff 8... the Fire Cavern is one such place where Squall is tested on his Judgment. To score well for this scenario, you must finish the battle with Ifrit with as little time as possible left on the clock. Whittle down Ifrit's HP to around 100, then stall until the timer hits 15 to 20 seconds. Quickly use a barrage of Blizzard spells to bring the battle to an end. You'll see how well you scored for this event later on in the game. (note: A ( ) around a spell denotes that it's only available for higher level opponents. In this case, you can only draw Fira from a level 20 or higher Ifrit. Btw, if you're playing the Japanese version, 'Libra' has been translated as 'Scan' in the U.S version) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You'll receive Ifrit as a G.F, and have to make your way back out again. In the Japanese version, your 30 minutes include both getting in and out; the U.S version only requires you defeat Ifrit within 10 minutes. Ifrit offers abilities which boost your HP and Strength. They're very useful early in the game, and will prove invaluable against strong foes. Side events: Defeating Bombs sometimes nets you Bomb Fragments or Cards. Get either one of these; you'll want one later on for weapon upgrading. Bombs are extremely vulnerable to Blizzard spells. Once you're done, return to Balamb Garden. On a side note, you cannot encounter enemies on the paved roads in ff 8; keep that in mind. ####################################################################### 1d. [Balamb Garden -- Dollet Mission Briefing] Area Info: Unchanged ####################################################################### Squall is invited to try for a place in SeeD upon his return. You can wander around Garden if you wish, and whenever you feel you're ready, head back to Squall's room to change into his school uniform. Make your way back to the Lobby with the Garden directory board. There, Squall'll be assigned to his party, comprising of Seifer and Zell. Follow them and head for the Parking Lots. ###################################################################### [Balamb City] (note: You cannot encounter enemies in a car) Area Info: Unavailable (rather, not recommended you explore...) ###################################################################### Go for a spin or 2 in the car before moving on to Balamb City in the south-west (and hear Seifer's unflattering remarks about Zell). There isn't much you can do right now, so go on and board the ship. Don't try to go anywhere else; your instructors won't like it! ####################################################################### 1e. [Naval Ship] ####################################################################### Xu briefs the group on their mission objective, saying they are to liberate the city of Dollet that's under siege by Galbadia. Squad B (that's you) is to secure the area right up to the central square. Seifer then orders Squall to check the situation outside: - ... Okay. * - No. ###################################################################### 1f. [Dollet] (note: Don't converse with Squad A or C members except for Selphie, follow orders, and finish off all enemies quickly. You're being assessed by your instructors in this field exam, so conduct yourselves properly!) Enemies: Galbadian Soldier Anacondaur, Geezard, Elite Soldier (Mountain Range) Draw Points: Blind G.Fs: Siren (Elvoret) Magazines: Weapons Monthly March (Elvoret) ####################################################################### After the ships crash onto the shore, the loading doors open and Seifer leads Squall's party out. Quistis reminds you to equip your G.Fs before proceeding; divide your G.Fs among the 3 before following Seifer. Both Seifer and Zell join you here; they start off at lv. 9 and 8 respectively. Junction your party, transferring magic from Quistis if you have to. Ignore conversing with any of your colleagues, and follow Seifer. Seifer then points out 2 oncoming guards and the party encounters their 1st battle. Have the members attack normally (you may wish to stock up on 'Cure' spells at this point) and make full use of the Gunblade's 'R1 Trigger' feature. Note that Seifer's Hyperion also has this feature, only that his timing is a bit faster. As the party goes deeper into the town, another pair of Galbadian troops jump down to ambush the party. At the central square, Seifer orders the party to eliminate any remaining guards; proceed to the upper-right alley and do so. Following that, the characters wait it out as the rest of their troops hold off the remaining Galbadians. Finally, Seifer loses his patience (no thanks to the dog) and decides to check things out ahead. Zell questions this act as he thinks it's out of the mission parameter, but is dismissed by Seifer and Squall. The latter especially, seems quite eager to prove himself. Follow Seifer. After the party crosses the bridge, they chance upon the injured Dollet troops. Seifer spots another injured soldier, who is promptly dragged away by a serpent monster before Squall can reach him. A battle occurs. Seifer remarks that things are starting to get fun now... btw, the Anacondaur (Hedge Viper) is weak against Ice, so cast Shiva on it. Follow the path to the comms tower, defeating enemies along the way. Seifer will run off on his own (probably too eager already) and Selphie arrives to convey a message, conveniently replacing Seifer in the process. Jump off the cliff: - That's the plan. - No way... * Take the longer path to your right to meet up with Selphie, who complains about Squall not taking the shortcut. Zell remarks that nobody would normally leap off cliffs: - Yeah, I guess so. - I don't know about that... I'll leave this up to you to choose. Selphie joins you here; she starts off at lv. 8. Proceed to the communication tower once you've junctioned her properly. Side event: Geezards (Haurizaados) here (strange greyish creatures with a pink under-belly) give you Screws. These are useful in upgrading your weapons. Once inside, run around a bit to encounter enemy troops, and make use of this opportunity to heal your characters as well as to stock up on curative items and spells. Take note of the 'Blind' Draw Point to the left. Once you're ready, step onto the elevator and take it to the top (1st option). Tip: Be sure to have saved first, and ensure one of your party members has the 'Draw' command; you'll need to draw a G.F in an upcoming battle. The scene switches to Wedge (the blue guy) and Biggs (the guy in red). Biggs is trying to repair the satellite when Wedge comments about a monster in the vicinity. The former pays no attention, much to the chagrin of Wedge, who decides to look around first. Before long, Squall arrives, and in the commotion, Biggs starts the satellite up. He is elated, but not after the party engages him in battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SUB-BOSSES: Biggs HP: 610 Weak: Poison Draw List: Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, Esuna Wedge HP: 608 Weak: Poison Draw List: Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, Cure Total AP: 8 Have the party use G.Fs if you wish, but it'll be better to keep drawing magic out of these 2 guys first, especially Esuna. After defeating them, Elvoret will make his appearance; save your items and spells for him. BOSS: Elvoret HP: 2,872 Weak: Wind Strong vs.: Poison Draw List: Thunder(Thundara), Cure(Cura), Double, Siren AP: 10 Unleash everything (well, maybe not EVERYTHING; save a few Thunder spells and items) you've got on this creature. If your G.Fs are at a decent level, he should go down easily. Just make sure to pop in the occasional heal spells, and use any limit breaks when they're made available. He also has Siren, a G.F. among his list of magics, so be sure to draw it from him. Watch out for his Storm Breath too, which takes off 100 plus damage from everyone. You'll receive the March issue of Weapons Monthly from him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Siren, although not your best G.F. in terms of attacking power, has a wide array of menu abilities waiting to be learnt. She also has the Treatment (Chiryou) command ability, which cures ANY status ailment. Her 'Move-Find' party ability enables you to see hidden save and draw points; it's definitely a must-have. Selphie relays new information to Squad B: they are to assemble at the shore at 1900 hours. Seifer notes the 30 minute deadline given before he leaves. When you regain control, quickly board the lift and descend. The scene then cuts to Biggs, who activates a last ditch defense mechanism before gloating and falling over. Save before you leave the comms. tower; 30 minutes is more than enough time to make your escape. Outside, the X-ATM092 makes its untimely appearance, and the party has to fend it off. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SUB-BOSS: X-ATM092 HP: 5,492 Weak: Thunder Strong vs.: Poison Draw List: Fire, Blizzard, Cure, Protect AP: 50 (or none) Hit it with your Thunder spells, then attack normally. If you pull it off fast enough, the spider should collapse before getting a chance to use its 'Ray-Bomb'. Escape using R2 and L2. And while using Quezacotl may seem like a good idea, it eats up the timer, so don't summon it. You'll just have to do about 1,100 points of damage to make it go down. You can defeat it, but only in the 2nd time you face it. The X-ATM092 is invincible the 1st time you encounter it outside the comms. tower. The best place to take it down is on the bridge. You'll need to have Squall and Zell at critical status (easier usage of limit breaks) and Selphie having maximum affiliation with Quezacotl. Keep hitting the X-ATM092 with specials and Quezacotl (use a Turbo controller coupled with the 'Boost' G.F. Ability). After it collapses about 5 to 6 times, it should blow up. The X-ATM092 gives up random items upon its demise, but they're usually excellent ones. It's not recommended you take it down though, especially if this is your first time through the game. Assuming if you did cause the X-ATM092 to explode on the bridge, then you can make a clear run to the ship at the beach. You don't have to save the dog (detailed below), btw. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Retrace your steps through the city, and during this period, you have to avoid the X-ATM092 another 3 times. The 1st is when you cross the cliff where you met Selphie; keep the d-pad pressed all the way to the left. On the next screen, WALK slowly by coupling 'Triangle' (U.S) or 'X' (Japanese) with the d-pad or you'll have to do battle again. Don't worry, the X-ATM092 won't be able to get to you if you do this scene right. Upon reaching the bridge, run to the 4th lamp post; the X-ATM092 should leap over you at this point. Stall for a while (about 2 to 3 seconds), then move to the lamp post to your left. This should cause the Black Widow to jump over you again. Turn back and head right all the way from here. At the next screen, dash towards the dog and tap 'X' (U.S) or 'Circle' (Japanese) repeatedly to make it run away. In the event that you have to fight again, use the same strategy, and try to keep your HPs above 110 as the Ray-Bomb tends to hit for around 100 plus. After the last alleyway, the game switches to a CG movie, showing Squall's breathtaking escape from the X-ATM092. Strangely enough, if you choose, you can enter the cafe Squad C came out from; the X-ATM092 should miss you completely, and you're free to run at your own pace and save on the way. The downside? You'll miss the cool FMV and lower your SeeD ranking. ######################################################################## 1g. [Exploring Balamb City] Draw Points: Thunder, Cure Magazines: Timber Maniacs (Balamb Hotel OR Train Station) Blue Magic: Ultra Waves ######################################################################## You're free to explore Balamb City now and take in the sights of this scenic port town. Gain a few levels, then proceed back to Balamb Garden. Side events: Caterchipillars (caterpillars in Balamb's forests) give you Spider Webs. It's an essential item in weapon upgrading; Spider Webs also net you Quistis' Blue Magic, Ultra Waves. Keep one of these in your inventory after you've used one on Quistis. You'll also come across you first edition of 'Timber Maniacs' at the Balamb Hotel. These detail the adventures of Laguna Loire, a man you'll certainly be hearing more about in times to come. You can view all the issues of Timber Maniacs you've collected by accessing the homepage of the 'School Festival Committee' via Squall's study panel on the 2nd floor classroom of Balamb Garden. However, this option won't appear until the later parts of Disc Two. If you can't seem to find the magazine at the Hotel, then try looking for it at the train station, right behind the red and white sign-post there. It seems to alternate locations. There's also a copy of Timber Maniacs at Zell's house, but it's a fake. ####################################################################### 1h. [Inauguration Ceremony at Balamb Garden] Area Info: Unchanged ####################################################################### Cid will ask how the battle went: - Felt good. * - Scared to death. - ... Whatever. Head on over to the right, where Seifer is reprimanded for ignoring orders. The intercom relays a message, saying that all the participants are to gather at the 2nd floor. Talk to everyone there, and when Squall tries to leave, the results are announced. Tip: I've been getting mail from people saying nothing happens at the 2nd Floor; just keep in mind this is a timed event, and that the results will only be announced after a certain amount of time has elapsed. So if you wanna kill time at the 2nd Floor, trying walking instead of running, and when you've talked to everyone here, take a leisurely stroll to the end of the corridor (it's a dead end), then stroll back... by the time you do this, the Garden Faculty should've appeared. Squall, Zell, Selphie and another person (Nida) are proclaimed official members of SeeD. Be sure to talk to Cid again before you leave; he'll grant you your 'Battle Report', which shows the number of steps taken, fights you fought, and times you escaped). This now appears in your 'Tutorial' sub-menu, under 'Information'. SeeD Ranking System: {U.S version} Conduct: Reach the shore at Dollet with 25:00 left on the clock to score 100. Judgment: Defeat Ifrit in the Fire Cavern with at least 0:07 left on the clock to score 100. Attack: Defeat 75 enemies in total. This number does not take into account enemies downed by G.Fs. Spirit: Never escape (except for the FIRST Black Widow fight) from battles to score 100. Attitude: Don't converse with anyone in Balamb City before the Dollet mission, ignore all Squad A and C members while in Dollet, leave the defeated Biggs alone, follow all of Seifer's orders, do not take the short-cut at the cliff, save the dog from the X-ATM092 and refrain from hiding in the cafe. {Japanese version} Conduct: Fight the X-ATM092 once, and reach the shore within 5 minutes. Do not enter the cafe Squad C came out of. Judgment: Complete the Fire Cavern using 30 minutes with Squall at level 7 to 9 to score 100. Attack: Emerge victorious in combat 60 times. Spirit: Never escape (except for the FIRST Black Widow fight) from battles. Attitude: Don't converse with Squad A or C, follow all orders, no short-cut at the cliff, reach the communication tower within 18 minutes, and save the dog at the central square from the X-ATM092. Defeating the X-ATM092 on the bridge nets you a perfect score of lv. 10. In addition, a 'Bonus' segment will be added to the ranking criteria. You should get a decent score of rank 8 if you followed my guide. Rank 10 is attained by defeating the X-ATM092. The SeeD Tests should also be made available to you now in the menu screen; Squall has to be at least lv. 30 to open up all 30 papers. Attaining full marks in a test increases your SeeD ranking by 1. You can refer to the SeeD Ranking section in the earlier parts of this document for the test answers. Be sure to sit for Tests occasionally throughout the entire game. Squall'll be paid his salary as he proceeds in his quest. The sum you get is determined by your SeeD Rank. Change into your slick military garb after the inauguration ceremony, and prepare yourself for the inauguration party. At the dinner and dance party that night, Squall will meet Rinoa for the 1st time. But not before Selphie asks Squall to join the School Festival Committee: - Yeah, I guess so. * - ...... Selphie won't pose this question if you've agreed to join the Committee when you spoke to her at the Quad during the start of the game; this would be before the Fire Cavern section. After the dance scene, Quistis asks of Squall to meet her at the training center; Squall wonders what she's up to. Change into your normal attire, and save your game. Head for the Training Center. ######################################################################## 1i. [Balamb Garden: Training Center] Enemies: Grat, T-Rexaur Draw Point: Blizzard ######################################################################## The Training Center is a relatively short dungeon, but contains some of the more powerful enemies you've met so far. While the mutated plants are easy enough to dispose of, you'd better run when a T-Rexaur appears. Defeating it nets you 'Dino Bones' (Quake magic is refinable from it), but such items are useless at this point in the game. Btw, which route you take at the start doesn't matter. Anyway, save when you reach a Save Point, then head on towards the nearby door. Side events: The T-Rexaur is defeatable, but you'll need the 'Blind' spell you picked up at a Draw Point in Dollet. Cast it on the dinosaur, followed by Blizzard spells or Shiva. Dino Bones are required for weapon upgrading much, much later. The plant-like Grats here offer a plethora of status ailments spells, which are useful for junctioning spells to status defense or attack. Once done, save, then retrace your steps to the exit. The two will chance upon a mysterious girl being attacked by a flying creature. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Granaldo HP: 1,538 Weak: Wind Draw List: Sleep, Shell, Blind AP: 5 BOSSES: Raldo x3 HP: 223 Draw List: Fire, Thunder, Protect Total AP: 3 This critter is accompanied by 3 flunkies, so just use a G.F. to take them out first right at the start of the fight. After that, draw 'Shell' magic from Granaldo before offing it at your own leisure. It's pathetically weak once you get rid of its flunkies. Try putting the Granaldo to sleep with its 'Sleep' spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ######################################################################## 1j. [Balamb Garden -- Timber Mission Briefing] G.Fs: Diablos (Magical Lamp) Magazine: Weapons Monthly April (Squall's desk) Rare Card: Diablos ######################################################################## Go back to the dormitory, where Zell informs Squall that he's been given a private room. Rest up, and when Selphie tells Squall to meet at the Main Entrance in the morning, pick up the April issue of Weapons Monthly from Squall's desk in his room. Cid and a Garden Faculty will brief you on your 1st SeeD mission, saying an organization has sought the assistance of SeeD. Squall and co. are to leave immediately for Timber where they should meet up with the organization. Cid gives Squall a 'Magical Lamp' as well (talk to him again for this). You're supposed to head on over to Balamb City, but since you've got the Lamp already, I suggest you save 1st, and making sure everyone in your party has a decent Magic rating, use the 'Magical Lamp' in the menu screen to collect another G.F. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ENEMY G.F: Diablos HP: Variable Weak: Wind Draw List: Cure, Demi AP: 20 If you aren't careful, he'll mess up your party pretty bad, so be sure to have stock-piled curative items and spells. Once the battle begins, have everyone draw and stock Demi from Diablos (note that you'll need a decent Magic parameter for your party members in order to do so). 4 or 5 stocked Demi spells per person should be adequate. Now draw and cast Demi on Diablos, it should hit him pretty hard initially. Keep at this until you can do only 1 or 2 digit damage to Diablos with a Demi spell, then finish him off with your most powerful G.F or a Limit Break. Diablos can either attack you with a lunge or a single Demi spell; heal these with Cure spells. However, if he casts Gravija, don't bother about using any Cure spells; rather, have either Squall or Zell pop in a quick limit break, then cast your stocked Demi spells on Diablos. He'll actually retaliate by healing your party with Curaga. Btw, he's easier to defeat at lower levels. I managed to down him when Squall was at level 11. (note: 'Gravite' has been translated as 'Demi' in the U.S version) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ When you've received Diablos as a G.F, I suggest learning these 3 abilities first: Mug, Encounter Half and Encounter None. They will come in handy as the game progresses. Especially Mug, although that character ability will take quite a while to learn (200 A.Ps). And while Diablos seems awfully weak at this point, note that his attack is Gravity-based. At lower levels, he's only capable of lopping off about one tenth of an enemy's total (not remaining) HP. Side Event: Try paying a visit to the Library with Zell for a random event involving a secret admirer. At first only her girl-friends will drop hints, but returning here often (whenever possible) lets you view the full set of sequences. The 1st scene you should view here will be Zell enquiring about a book. The reward for this side quest isn't all that great though, so you can pretty much choose to ignore this. ######################################################################## [Balamb City: Train Station] Magazines: Pet Pals Vol. 1 (Train) ######################################################################## Tip: If you're in need of cash, run around for a while until Squall receives his SeeD payment. After buying a ticket for 3,000 Gil at the train station, board the train. Bypass the ticket machine, then follow Zell into the room. He'll find Vol. One of 'Pet Pals', and ask Squall if he knows about Timber's current situation: - I don't care. - Not too much. * Zell informs Squall a little more on Timber, a small country invaded and captured by Galbadia 18 years ago. ######################################################################## 1k. [Laguna Dream Sequence Part One: Eastern Forest & Deling] Enemies: Funguar, Geezard Draw Points: Cure, Water ######################################################################## These 3 (Ward, Kiros and Laguna) inherit the status of whoever fainted, so bear this in mind. Well, the run through the jungle is fairly straight-forward. Use the fallen tree to walk over the small stream when you reach it, and then mount the vehicle at the end. [Galbadia: Deling City] Just as Laguna parks the vehicle, 2 more appear, conveniently blocking your way to the other parts of Deling City. Ignore them for now, and run to the lower-right (the upper right street leads to an arch, which is of no value right now). Transverse the city streets until you reach Galbadia Hotel. Save, then head off to the right staircase. Converse with the waitress, who'll ask you to take a seat: - (I'm walk around a bit first.) - (Alright, I'm there!) * - (Huh? Excuse me?) The 2nd option lets you hear a nice little piano piece by Julia, an aspiring pianist and singer. Laguna himself gets all nervous when she asks of him to meet her in her room upstairs. Return upstairs to the reception counter: - Which is Julia's room? * - Ahh... nothing. (note: the darker bracketed speech bubbles you see in Laguna's scenarios are the reactions of Squall's party) ####################################################################### 1l. [Timber Tracks: Hijack Operation] Magazines: Pet Pals Vol. 2 (Resistance Base) Rare Card: Angelo (Watts) ####################################################################### Squall, Selphie and Zell wake up at this point, and are surprised to find they all shared the same dream. Squall makes a note to report this to Principal Cid as they disembark from the train. Speak to the man waiting on the steps: - But the moogles are still here. - But the chocobos are still here. - But the Owls are still around. * The 3rd option is the password. Taking either the 1st or 2nd option results in a rather amusing scene where Watts almost gets knocked down by a train ^_^ [Resistance Base] Once on board the train, Zone and Watts will formally introduce themselves as the leaders of the 'Forest Owls', and ask of Squall to wake their 'princess' up. Squall complies, but not without a few threatening remarks first. Side event: Watts holds Angelo's card, a rare card. You can win it from him if you so wish, or wait until later in the game. Head into the other sections of the train (take note of the Save Point in one of the cabins), into the nice flowery pink room. Rinoa will recall meeting Squall at the dance party, and requests him to proceed to the briefing room. Her dog, Angelo, will also make an appearance here. You will be asked to name both of them; again, this walkthrough will use the default name settings. It seems that President Deling of Galbadia will be passing through Timber on a train. The trio hatch a plan to capture him, and just for your reference, I've included a little diagram to show the entire procedure. =========================[Dummy Car]-[Resistance Base]================ ==[Locomotive]-[1st Escort]-[Prez's Car]-[2nd Escort]================= Basically, you'll have to leap from the Base onto the 2nd Escort, run to detach the 1st Escort from the Prez's Car, thus allowing the Dummy Car and the Base to slip in between the 1st Escort and the Prez's Car, then uncouple the 2nd Escort, causing the Base to break away along with the Prez's Car, leaving the Dummy Car in place of the latter. Relax, you don't have to memorize the procedure. Rinoa will let Squall have a practice session at entering passwords; press L1 to exit when you're through. Did you understand the briefing? - Yes. - Explain it again. I'll leave this up to you. The bulletin board in the upper-right of the planning room has copies of Anarchist Monthly pinned onto. These provide information on Vinzer Deling's ascension to power. Save, then talk to Watts. He'll ask Squall if he's ready: - Not yet. - Yeah. * Tip: Some people have written in complaining that instead of asking Squall if he's ready, Watts asks for a game of Card Battle instead... try speaking to Watts with the 'X' (U.S) button and NOT the 'Square' button... these two have different functions in ff 8. [Hijack Operation: Timber Railway Lines] Your 1st action is to leap across to the 2nd Escort. Do this by hitting the 'Jump' button ('X' for the U.S. version, 'Circle' for the Japanese version) when the 2 carriages are relatively close together. You'll be working against a 5 minute timer, so make it quick. Next, Squall will have to work his way across the car. Just stay put and observe the guards... who discover that none of their sensors are working. Scoot across to meet up with the rest, before the Galbadian troopers repair the sensors. Assuming you let the guards repair the sensors, and happen to be directly above when the blinds are open, here's how you should react: Blue guards (sound sensors): Halt. Red guards (temperature sensors): Don't stop, and keep moving. Time your movements accordingly. 3rd involves detachment of 1st Escort. Zell and Selphie will watch out for the guards, so whenever they call out, just rappel up. Here's the sequence: 1. Rappel down with 'down' (duh.) 2. Rinoa will give you a random password. For the U.S. version: L1=Scroll screen to the left For the Japanese version: L1=Scroll screen to the left So if it's 1 4 2 3 in the U.S. version, you would enter O, T, X, S (in the space of 5 seconds, mind you). 3. Basically, you should attempt to enter 2 passwords, then rappel up. Wait for the 2 guards to pass by and return before going down again. 4. You'll have to enter 3 passwords for this one. The 4th step is the detachment of the 2nd Escort. You'll need to enter 5 passwords now instead of 3; this time you'll have to look out for guards yourself with R1. Step 3 above still works though, so the guards shouldn't be a problem. Do this right the 1st time and your SeeD ranking will be raised. The whole operation should take you less than 3 minutes. Well, after all that talk, junction your members (excluding Rinoa) and save, then do yourselves a favour by returning to Rinoa's room to pick up the 2nd volume of 'Pet Pals'. Converse with Rinoa again when you're ready to go: - Not yet. - Yeah. * Rinoa and company will finally meet up with Deling, but he turns out to be a fake one. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Fake President HP: 532 Draw List: Cure Easy enough. You can stock up on 'Cure' spells if you wish. BOSS: Gerogero HP: 2,750 Weak: Holy, Fire, Earth, Heal Strong vs.: Poison Draw List: Esuna, Double, Berserk, Zombie Total AP: 20 This guy likes to cast various status ailment spells on you, so come equipped with various curative items, or simply the ability to draw Esuna from him. Attack Gerogero with Fire-junctioned Elemental Attacks, Cure spells and G.F. Ifrit. This tactic applies only to the Japanese version: one Phoenix Down is all it takes to kill Utoku. Now that you know that, you might still want to spend some time drawing Esuna and Double from him though. This also works in the U.S version, but chances are that it has a higher percentage of missing Gerogero. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gerogero had a different colouration in the Japanese version; most of the blue areas on him were actually red. After the fight, the party'll discuss the next course of action. Supposedly, Deling is scheduled to make a speech at Timber TV Station soon, so your next plan would then be to snoop around for info into getting to the broadcast station. Make a party of 3. I suggest you bring a weaker character as the 3rd party member; there're some opportunities to gain a few EXP here. Talk to Watts to leave. ###################################################################### 1m. [Timber] (note: Rinoa joins you here; she starts off at lv. 11) Enemies: G-Soldier, Elite Soldier Draw Points: Blizzaga, Cure, Scan Magazines: Pet Pals Vol. 3 and 4 (Pet Store) Girl Next Door, Timber Maniacs (Timber Maniacs) ###################################################################### While Timber's topography isn't exactly the most confusing ever in ff 8, I guess I'll do no harm by providing you guys with a map, right? Here you go: Timber TV Station | (Desert) | | --------------------------------\ | Pub-+------ | | Shop | Timber Maniacs Forest Foxes | Building HQ | | | | --------------------------------------- | Owl's| | | | | Tears| | | Local |(Resist.| |---| (Balamb)| Goods-| Train) | | | | | | | Junk Store Hotel | --------+-----------------+--------+---------\ (Dollet) | | Pet Store-| | | Main Gates *the bracketed locations mean that they're train platforms, and where each train is bound. After the events in Timber, the (Resistance Train) station becomes (Deling City). There'll be Galbadian guards around, so take time off to draw a few spells from them. You might want to purchase Pet Pals Vol. 3 and 4 from the Pet Store near the station which runs towards Balamb. All trains are non-operational at this time. There'll be a few instances when you need to combat the Galbadian soldiers, and resting is accomplished by heading to 'Owl's Tears', which is right at the outskirts of town. It's this little cabin with 3 persons living inside. Tell the old man that you like beverages (2nd option), and examine the tap to the left to heal up. However, if you plunder the 500 Gil from the cupboard beneath the television (just examine the cupboard repeatedly), you lose this service. You might also want to check out Timber Maniacs, which Laguna worked as a journalist for. There's a copy of an adult magazine (Girl Next Door) and Timber Maniacs to be picked up here among the stacks of books in the lobby and editing room respectively. The dark room in Timber Maniacs hides a 'Blizzaga' draw point as well. Btw, there's a guy clad in a grayish-green jacket outside Timber Maniacs; be sure to encourage him to receive a mediocre item from him later on in Disc Two. The house next door has a lady who will speak of an alleyway behind the Pub which leads to the TV Station. Once you're done, head on over to the Pub, by taking the stairs at the juncture in the next screen. 2 conversing Galbadian soldiers will mention about having obtained a Card; kick their butts to receive a lame monster card. There's an item shop to the left, so go ahead and purchase any goods before entering the Pub. There's a drunk man blocking the exit to the backlane inside: - Observe. - Talk to him. * Squall will have to respond to his demands for a drink: - Buy him a drink. - Tell him about the cards. * - Do nothing. He'll give you a Tonberry card, and move out of the way when you select the 2nd option. You can also choose to buy him a drink, but you won't receive anything in return. Talk with the woman to the left to know the drunk's favourite type of drink, then observe the drink the drunk's holding. Here's a list: [Red] [Yellow] [Green] [Sweet] Mimett Curiel Tantal [Bitter] Krakka Sylkis Reagan Outside, save, and follow the path to the TV Station. Rinoa, upon seeing the tight security around the place, decides to switch to a less subtle way of getting into the TV Station... much to the displeasure of Squall, who's annoyed by the way she changes her mind so quickly. Rinoa asks him to voice his opinions: - Yeah, I'll tell you. * - Forget it. It seems that Squall will still tell Rinoa off no matter which you choose though. You'll have the option of continuing or stopping: - ... Guess I'll follow up. - Well, just leave it at that. * Hurt, Rinoa runs off on her own, just as the programme starts. Vinzer Deling, President of Galbadia, will commence his speech. He starts to introduce his ambassador, a sorceress, but before he announces her name, his broadcast session is disrupted. Head for the TV Station immediately. Zell, in the midst of the commotion, unknowingly lets slip Garden has dispatched them to deal with the situation in Timber. Follow Quistis. The party has to get out of Timber after things have gotten ugly. Upon leaving the 'Foxes of the Forest' (the house next to Timber Maniacs), Watts, disguised as a Galbadian soldier, tells them that a train is bound for Dollet at the station, and to take care of Rinoa: - Ok (I have my orders). - Ok (You be careful, too). I'll leave this up to you. Retrace your steps, meet up with Zone (dressed as an old man), who'll pass you your tickets. Proceed right from here for the (Dollet)-bound train. Board the train? - Get on. * - Not yet. You'll have the option of talking to Zell in the train carriage: - (Leave him alone.) * - (Stay put.) Take the 1st option to advance the storyline. Actually, while the story requires you to drop off at the East Academy Station, I suggest you give that a miss and alight further on at Dollet. |